Chult: Tomb of Annihilation
by Raphael Comet
Summary: This story recounts the events of my first ever D&D experience (Chult: Tomb of Annihilation) which was DMed by a friend of mine, though, we never did finish this one. I participated as a player and my character was Yuri von Lucatile. Yuri is my OC while everyone else belongs to their respective owners.
1. Arriving in Chult

**===== Chapter 1 =====**

**Arriving in Chult**

The heat, it burned. The crisp, cool air of Lubenheigan suddenly changed to a hot, sticky climate. It was very humid and Yuri felt like she could barely breathe. It was also much noisier than before with beasts of burden growling and people chatting in both Common and a language she did not recognize. Eventually, she opened her eyes and was initially greeted by the sun's bright rays before being able to focus again. She looked around and saw Syndra's associate standing casually next to her as if teleportation was a normal occurrence for her.

"Is this the place?" asked Yuri to the associate.

The associate gave a nod and turned to Yuri. "Indeed. Welcome to the land of Chult. This is the port city of Nyanzaru, the main hub for the area," she said.

Yuri took a closer look at her surroundings after the initial shock wore off. She could then smell the salty scent of sea water and realized she was at the docks. The ocean breeze was comforting, but it was still hot out. There were ships floating in the water with their crews busy about.

"Are we going to meet with Syndra now?" asked Yuri.

The associate shook her head. "Not yet. I've been instructed to help you find lodging first before we meet the rest of the group," she said.

Yuri looked at her with a quizzical expression. "Rest of the group?" she asked.

"Yes. There are five other brave adventurers that were hired by Lady Syndra. The six of you will be taking on the harrowing quest together," she said.

Hearing that she'd be working with others, Yuri frowned slightly since she didn't play well with random strangers. "And what kind of people are my companions like then?" she asked, trying her best to hide her disappointment.

"You will meet them in due time. Now let's get going. We best not keep the others waiting," said the associate.

"Yes… the others. Best not to give off a bad first impression…," said Yuri with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

The associate didn't catch on to her sarcasm as she took out a map of the city. "There are two main establishments that you can choose from for your stay here. The Thundering Lizard is a cheaper option, but you get what you pay for. Things can get rowdy in the bar area and the amenities aren't the best. If you're looking for a good night's sleep, you'll be taking a gamble there," she said.

Yuri sighed, highly valuing her sleep. "And the other place?" she asked.

"Kaya's House of Repose. It's a more luxurious establishment for the discerning customer. Of course, with the better choice of comfort comes a higher price to pay," said the associate.

Relieved at the second option, Yuri quickly gave her reply. "That one. Take me there. I would really like to freshen up a bit before meeting the others," she said, anxious to get out of the heat.

"As you wish," said the associate. "Here, this is yours to use." She then handed Yuri the map before leading her towards the hotel.

When they got there, the associate helped Yuri check in and get a room. She then told Yuri she'd wait in the lobby while she went to her room to freshen up. Once Yuri got to her room, she sighed with relief, finally able to take a load off her aching feet. It was much cooler in her room than it was outside in the streets. Quite frankly, she wasn't expecting it to be that hot, but then again, she didn't know what to expect. She took off her cloak and jacket, tossing them on the bed before wiping her brow. She could already tell this was going to be her most challenging job yet, but she had to endure, for Monika's sake.

Seeing a wash basin, Yuri walked over and took off her gloves, placing them on the counter. The sink was already full of water and it looked clean enough to use. She cupped her hands and splashed some water on her face which was quite refreshing. There were complimentary towels there so she took one and dried her face before walking back over to the bed and sitting down. If she was going to survive, she was going to have to get some new gear. She'd inquire about where to go shopping later. First, she had to deal with meeting her fellow adventurers. Yuri scoffed at the notion of working with others before getting ready to head out.

Yuri made her way back to the lobby and met up with the associate. From there, Yuri followed her to the Thundering Lizard, the place where the rest of the party was staying. Seemed that her company didn't care much for a good night's sleep, Yuri figured. Upon reaching their destination, Yuri followed the associate inside and glanced around anxiously, wondering what her comrades were going to be like. Soon enough, the associate spotted the group sitting at a table together and headed over followed apprehensively by Yuri.

"I'll be taking my leave now. Remember, you all need to choose a guide before meeting with Lady Syndra. She will be waiting at Prince O'tamu's residence," said the associate. She gave a slight bow before leaving Yuri with the group seated at the table.

Yuri gave the associate a nod before awkwardly turning to the five sitting at the table before her. Giving them a quick look over, she saw a high elf, a human, a dwarf, a halfling, and what appeared to be a half elf/human mix. There were also two wolves sitting beside their respective masters, the halfling and half elf. At least there were no orcs though, she thought; she couldn't stand orcs. As she stood there by herself, everyone at the table turned towards her, making her quite uncomfortable. Yuri choked on her words as she stood nearly frozen in place. All she could do was give a nervous wave before hurrying to the last empty seat at the table.

Taking her seat, the high elf and apparent leader of the group, decided it was time to introduce themselves to one another since they were all together. Since Yuri was the last to arrive, she was chosen as the first to introduce herself. With everyone directing their attention towards her, Yuri composed herself and let out a sigh. "My name is Yuri von Lucatile, but you all can just call me Yuri. I'm but a humble nun, traveling on my pilgrimage to spread the prayer of a bountiful harvest to all the lands," she said, using her cover as a nun to conceal her true identity. It was best not to give away any unnecessary information to these people if she didn't need to, she thought. Everyone gave her a warm welcome before the introductions continued on, which Yuri was thankful for.

Next to her was the male dwarf, a battle-master named Hafthor. He was a dwarf warrior and wielded two battleaxes. Next to him was the male human, a blind monk by the name of Einar; he had a staff with him. Beside him was a male halfling ranger by the name of Kade. One of the wolves at the table was his. The other wolf belonged to the woman beside him, the half-elf and half-human ranger named Freya. Lastly, the male high elf by the name of Corin, a paladin and apparent companion of Einar, the blind monk; he wielded a longsword and shield.

After the introductions were over with, they moved on to the next order of business: finding a suitable guide to lead them through the jungles of Chult. There were flyers on the table advertising different guides to hire. Corin and the others were looking them over before Yuri had arrived. They had nine guides to choose from. After everyone read them over and discussed the pros and cons of each option, they decided on interviewing Qawasha and his companion Kupalue first with Azaka Stormfang as their back up. Once they were all in agreement, they left the tavern to try and find their first interviewee. Corin and Hafthor picked the barkeep's brain for information before they left so they had a general starting point.

Yuri walked along with the group, staying mostly towards the back. She was somewhat relieved, though. The group seemed friendly enough, but she wasn't quite confident in their combat prowess. Even though they had just met, she wasn't too sure how a tiny halfling, a blind monk, an adolescent ranger, a dwarf, and a washed-up elf were going to solve the undead problem. But then again, perhaps there was more to them than met the eye when it came to their abilities, just like with her.

Suddenly, Corin moved over to her which broke her out of her thoughts. "Yuri, was it?" he asked, looking to her.

Yuri was caught off guard by the sudden interaction. "Um, yes. It is," she said, trying to hide her uneasiness behind her hood.

Corin smiled. "I was just curious as to what your faith was. Do you mind enlightening me as to your purpose here?" he asked.

Yuri tried to keep her composure, but on the inside, she was scowling with annoyance. Already there was someone poking their unwanted nose in her business. It was inevitable, however, and bound to happen sooner or later. As such, Yuri was more than prepared to handle the situation. "I belong to an order that worships the Goddess of the Wheat and Tail, our Lady Holo. She is the patron of bountiful harvests, mainly dealing in wheat. I am on a pilgrimage to spread the word of our fair lady to wherever my travels lead me in her name," she said, putting on her best nun act.

Corin remained quiet for a bit but seemed to buy it, but she wasn't sure to what extent. She'd have to keep an eye on him for he seemed more inquisitive than the others.

"I see. Well, good fortune to you in that endeavor," said Corin before moving back to the front of the group.

Yuri eyed him closely from within her hood as he left. She really hoped she didn't have to be wary of her supposed allies as much as she would with her enemies. The goodie-two-shoes elf probably wouldn't take her being an assassin too kindly.

The group continued on their way and arrived at the docks. The flyer they had of Qawasha and Kupalue had their faces on it, so they knew what they looked like. They all looked around, trying to spot them among the masses of activity around. Freya eventually caught sight of Qawasha and motioned the group over to him. Qawasha was fishing at the end of a pier with Kupalue sitting beside him. As the group drew near, Kupalue turned around and saw them, notifying his master of their approach by tugging on his robe.

As Corin was about to address him, Qawasha raised a hand without diverting his attention away from his fishing pole. "Just a moment. I think I've got something," he said as he grabbed the pole with both hands. He then gave a firm pull and out of the water came an empty hook, landing on the pier beside him. "Well, I already had fish today anyway," he said while packing up his fishing equipment. "So, how can I help you weary travelers?" he asked as he looked to Yuri and the rest of the group. Qawasha could tell they were not from around and must be there for a quest of some sort.

Corin and Hafthor took the lead and interrogated the man while Yuri watched and listened from the rear of the group. Qawasha told them all he'd wave the hiring fees if they'd assist him in eradicating any undead they came across. He'd been hunting them for a while by himself, but the undead horde kept growing and it was becoming too much for him to handle. After everything was said and done, Qawasha bid them all farewell as he jumped off the pier, transforming into some sort of creature and swimming away with Kupalue in tow. He had some business to attend to and would be at the docks the next morning if they wanted to hire him.

The guy seemed all right to Yuri. He was even willing to wave the hiring fee for something they were going to do anyway. Also, his plant companion seemed like an asset that would come in handy as well. A win-win in her book, but they still had to check out their other option just in case. She wasn't quite sure how well he'd do with a group, so she still kept her options open.

Once Qawasha was gone, Yuri followed the group as they left to find Azaka Stormfang. Based on the flyer for her and the information from the barkeep, Corin led the group to where Azaka was known to be. Upon arriving, they asked a group of children if they had seen Azaka anywhere. They were then informed that she wasn't there. When the group asked about the flag to summon her back to town, the kids said that Azaka was in a part of the city where she wouldn't be able to see the flag. The children then directed the group to where Azaka was. Before they left, Hafthor gave the kids a gold coin and some bread in exchange for the information.

Seeing the street urchins reminded Yuri of her youth and brought her back to when she used to live on the streets. As she watched the kid wave the gold coin around to his friends while they split the bread amongst themselves, Yuri couldn't help but scoff at them. If it had only been that easy for her to get food and coin when she was a kid, then maybe she would have been spared the many degrading acts she was exposed to. Well good for them, she thought, following the group as they headed out.

Yuri continued following the group, letting them deal with all the boring aspects of finding a guide. As they were walking along, an odd man began stumbling in their direction. Great, a drunk, thought Yuri as she tried to stay on the far side of the group opposite of him. The man continued towards them then stopped in front of Corin, saying something to him before collapsing. Corin acted quickly and caught the man before he fell. Of course he would, thought Yuri as she watched Corin interact with the fallen man. After Corin made sure the stranger was okay, they continued on.

It was mid-afternoon when they arrived at where they were headed. Upon arriving there, Yuri and the others noticed a crowd beginning to form up ahead. There were two guards escorting a cuffed prisoner between them, making their way towards a trench in the middle of a clearing. Curious, the group made their way over as well, hoping to maybe even spot Azaka in the crowd.

Once the two guards and the prisoner reached the trench, they led him over to a platform and faced the gathering of people. A third guard came out of the crowd then went up on the platform as well. He was wearing more distinguished looking attire indicating that he was probably an officer of some sort, or at least, of a higher rank than the other two. He briefly glanced over the crowd then pulled out a scroll and unrolled it, clearing his throat. He said the criminal was convicted of thievery and was sentenced to run The Gauntlet. If the individual were to make it to the end alive, all charges made against him were to be dropped and he was absolved of his crimes; however, if he were to die before reaching the end, then he was indeed guilty and judged accordingly.

Yuri couldn't hear everything that was being said, but she had a basic understanding of what was going on. The Gauntlet consisted of a long trench with a sloping side at one end and a knotted rope to escape at the other. Within the trench were three small branching paths with gates at the end of each one. Back on the platform, the two guards escorting the prisoner removed his shackles then proceeded to open the gate leading to the sloped entrance into the trench. Once the gate was open, the guards pushed the prisoner in then closed the gate behind him. As the prisoner tumbled down the slope, the three gates opened and released three raptors into the trench. Yuri was intrigued by the creatures, having never seen anything like them before. Based on their long claws and razor-sharp teeth, she figured they were quite deadly.

After the man came to a halt at the bottom of the trench, he shakily got to his feet and saw the three reptilian killing-machines dead ahead of him. He paused momentarily, keeping his eye on them to see what they would do. Their snarling stares brought him back to his senses as he focused then on the rope at the end of the trench, the only means of escaping the raptors alive. Without wasting any more time, he began running towards the end of the trench. The raptors gave chase, cutting him off every now and then as if they were toying with the man. This kept up until the man was around two-thirds of the way down the trench, then the raptors made their move. They tore into the prisoner like a pack of wild dogs, ripping him apart piece by piece as flesh and blood sprayed around the trench. Yuri glanced away momentarily, but after the initial shock wore off, she looked back to see the raptors nearly finishing their snack. She was no stranger to violence, but the intense gore and savagery still slightly got to her.

Once the spectacle was over, the crowd began to disperse as the raptors were lured back into their cages. Yuri and the group continued their search while the cleanup crew took care of the mess in the trench. Yuri was worn out and nearly dead from the heat and profuse sweating, but she did her best to hide her discomfort. Like before, they tried to locate a group of kids to see if they had seen Azaka. The flyer for her also had her face on it, so they knew what she looked like as well. They just figured it was easier to find a group of kids who might know where she was.

The area was a bit more run down than the last few locales they'd been through. It took a bit longer than before, but they eventually came across a small group of kids hanging around. Corin and Hafthor led the way like before but as they approached, the smaller boys saw them coming and scampered off, startled by their intimidating appearance. The remaining child, an older girl whose bark was worse than her bite, stood her ground as Yuri and the others approached.

"I'm not scared of you. What do you want?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

Hafthor assured the girl they didn't mean her any harm and inquired about Azaka.

"Yeah. I know her. You want me to go get her?" asked the girl.

Hafthor gave a nod.

"All right. Just wait and see. I'm super fast. I'll be back faster than… than- I don't know!" she said before running off to fetch Azaka for them.

Yuri watched the little scamp run off, hopping she was as fast as she said she was. She wasn't too keen on waiting around any longer than she needed to.

Not before long, the child was seen in the distance accompanied by an adult woman that looked to be Azaka. The picture on the flyer didn't do her justice. She was very tall and lean, almost entirely muscle with hardly any fat on her body. There were a lot of cats following her with one even sitting on her shoulder. The girl was holding Azaka's hand as she led her towards Yuri and the group. Before Azaka and the girl reached the group, Azaka stopped and crouched down beside the girl, giving her a couple pieces of candy. The girl's eyes lit up with joy as she took them before running off, leaving Azaka to meet the group by herself.

Now that was a guide, thought Yuri as she watched Azaka from afar, though, if she turned out to be a crazy cat lady, she'd have to knock off a few points.

As Azaka drew near, she scowled slightly, seeing the two wolves beside Freya and Kade. "So… I heard you were looking for me," she said as she stood in front of the group.

Corin and Hafthor took the lead and explained their situation to her. Azaka was unimpressed though, not having much confidence in the group's composition. She told them she didn't feel like holding their hands throughout the journey, but Hafthor tried to convince her they were more than capable of pulling their own weight. After a lengthy exchange, she told them she'd be at the Thundering Lizard the next day if they wanted her services. She gave them fair warning about the dangers that lay ahead then went on her way. After Azaka was gone, the group went back to the Thundering Lizard to decide on which guide they were going to hire.

It was late in the afternoon, but they still had plenty of time to notify Syndra of their decision. Once back at the tavern, they grabbed a table and discussed their two options for a guide. Yuri didn't have a problem with either one, or at least, any major problems anyway. Either one would do but she was leaning more towards Azaka based on physical prowess. The group continued to talk it out and finally agreed on Azaka. They also agreed they'd help her on a personal matter in order for the hiring fee to be waived.


	2. Benevolent Benefactors

**===== Chapter 2 =====**

**Benevolent Benefactors**

Once they made up their minds, they left for Prince O'tamu's residence to talk to Syndra. When they arrived, they were stopped by two guards wielding weapons and brightly colored shields, but after telling them they had business with Syndra, they were allowed to pass. They found Syndra sitting in her wheelchair in an open courtyard. She was wearing more casual attire and the effects of the undead curse were more pronounced. Since the visit was more or less unannounced, she wasn't looking as distinguished as she did when they first met.

When the group came across her, they discussed the final few aspects of the quest including who they chose as their guide. During their conversation, Syndra let them know what kind of hazards they could encounter to include heat, dehydration, and worst of all, bugs. As soon as Syndra said they should expect to encounter lots of bugs, Yuri's heart sank. She absolutely despised bugs of every kind, cringing in her boots at the very thought of trekking through the jungle while being assaulted by swarms of creepy crawlies. It was almost too much to bear until Syndra mentioned that they sold bug repellant in the market. It came in cubes that repelled bugs up to a certain distance and duration. It was also available as an ointment that when applied to the skin, kept bugs away for around 24-hours; it was more expensive, but Yuri was willing to pay almost any price to keep the bugs away.

After the group was done talking with her, Syndra told them where they could get supplies for the journey. Yuri was relieved; she'd been waiting all day to go shopping and she had quite the list. Before she left, and after the rest of the group had left the area, Yuri decided to talk with Syndra one-on-one for a bit.

"Excuse me, Syndra? May I have a quick word before I take my leave?" asked Yuri as she stood with Syndra in the courtyard alone.

"But of course," said Syndra as she looked to Yuri.

Yuri took a moment to gather her words before addressing her. "I know we've barely spoken, and I don't know how much your associate has told you about me, but I just wanted to let you know that this whole undead problem is only a secondary objective for me," she said.

"Oh? Is that so?" said Syndra. "Then why is it that you've chosen to come and accept my gracious hospitality?"

Yuri just looked at Syndra from within her hood, remembering Monika's face. "A few months ago… my mentor left me a note saying she had left to run a personal errand, and that she'd only be gone a few weeks at most. There weren't any specifics and sure it was odd, but I didn't think anything of it at first. Then days turned to weeks, then to months and I received no word from her. Something had to be up and so I tried to find out what happened to her," she said as she slowly walked around to Syndra's other side. "Eventually, I found out that she had taken a job- from you." She then stopped and looked Syndra in the eye. "Where. Is. Monika?"

Syndra just sat quietly, taking everything in Yuri had told while trying to remember Monika. "Monika… yes, I do remember an assassin I hired a couple months ago that went by that name," she said.

As soon as Yuri heard that, her eyes widened with worry. "You do!? What happened to her!? Is she here!?" she asked, almost losing her composure.

Syndra looked to Yuri, seeing the apprehension in her eyes. "Yes. She was here, but-" She paused, trying to find the best way of relaying the news to Yuri. "I haven't heard anything from her or the others since they left. I'm sorry."

Yuri's heart sank, fearing the worst. "Is there anything you can tell me? Please! Is there anything at all that might help me find her?" she asked.

"I'll tell you want I know, so please, calm down," said Syndra as she held a hand up. "If I recall, she had hired a guide by the name of Salida to help her through the journey. They were last known to be heading towards the Aldani Basin. That's unfortunately all the information I have for you," she said.

After taking a moment to compose herself, she gave a nod and thanked Syndra. "One last thing, my fee. If the worst happens and I find that Monika has died, I want you to bring her back to life. Can that be done?" she asked while trying to hold back her emotions.

"It could be… difficult, but it can be done. That is, of course, if you manage to complete the job before I expire," said Syndra.

Yuri was relieved, but only slightly, hoping it wouldn't come to that. "But if I do manage to find her alive, and we complete the job, she can have whatever you promised her in exchange for my fee," she said, still not completely knowing why Monika would take such a crazy job by herself. She wanted to ask Syndra what she promised Monika, but decided she wanted to hear it from Monika herself.

Syndra chuckled slightly at Yuri's devotion to her master. "Now, there would be no need for such a selfless act. If you do happen to find your master and complete the job, you will both be paid as promised," she said.

Thankful for her generosity, Yuri gave a slight bow and thanked her once again. She then left the courtyard to rendezvous with the rest of her companions. The group left Syndra and the Prince's residence, heading towards the market to gear up. Fortunately for Yuri, Syndra had given her and each adventurer two hundred gold coins for supplies. Once they got to the market, she went about gathering items from off her list.

The first and top priority was to get some of the bug repellant Syndra had mentioned earlier. She figured the cubes were a bit too cumbersome so she opted to get the ointment, and a generous supply at that. While she was in the market, she found some clothes that were better suited for the hot environment she was in. She picked up an olive green hooded cloak made from a lighter material, a sleeveless turtleneck made from a lighter material, heavy duty leather gloves, and a jacket made from a lighter material. After finding a change of clothes, Yuri looked around and picked up an Explorer's Pack which consisted of: a backpack, ten rations, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, ten torches, and fifty feet of rope. She figured she was going to need it all if she was going to be hiking through the jungle away from civilization. During their visit, the group decided to purchase two canoes since they were going to be traveling down a river on their journey. Everyone pitched in an equal share of the price, including Yuri, and the canoes would be ready for them to pick up the next day. Before she left, she picked up a grappling hook and a chest with a lock to put all her belongings that she wasn't going to bring with her.

After all their shopping was done, Corin told them there was nothing else the group had to do. He was going to talk with Syndra and the Prince again and didn't need the group until the next morning. Since she was no longer needed, Yuri decided to break away from the group and do her own thing. She looked around the marketplace and found a bookstore. Curious, she decided to give it a quick browse since she had nothing else better to do. She made her way inside with her new backpack full of survival gear and bag full of lightweight clothes.

The bookstore was like every other bookstore except with a bit of local flair. The books were more or less sorted according to genre and topic, so she made her way over to the romance section. Most of the authors she did not recognize and it didn't help that a lot of the books were also written in the local language. She furrowed her brow in disappointment and continued browsing the merchandise. Eventually, she found a book written in Common that was passable. She paid for the book and stuffed it in the sack full of clothes.

It was getting late, so she decided to head back to the hotel and sort through her new gear. On the way back, she picked up a quick snack to eat back in the hotel room. She was getting used to the layout of the city, but she still had to rely on her map to get back. She went inside and made her way up to her room. Once she was finally there, she dumped everything on the floor then laid back on her bed, exhausted. If that day was just a taste of what was to come, she was going to need all the help she could get.

After taking a quick breather, she got back up and retrieved her new clothes. She changed out of her old, thick clothes and put on her new, lightweight ones except for the cloak. They felt a lot lighter and cooler to wear, a drastic improvement over her previous outfit. She folded her old clothes and placed them off to the side in a neat pile. She then double-checked her camping gear, inspecting it all for any defects before packing them back in her backpack in a more optimal manner. Even after packing just the bare essentials, the pack was still a bit cumbersome. She sighed as she set it on a chair, ready to go for tomorrow. Everything she wasn't going to bring, she placed in the locked chest to leave with the Syndra while she was away.

After all her preparations were taken care of, Yuri ate her snack which was a local type of sweet bread. By that time, she was only wearing her sleeveless shirt and pants, enjoying the night air as it blew through her window. She was sitting in a chair by the open window, finishing off her snack before starting her new book. The cool breeze wafted over her bare arms, whisking a few strands of her hair along the way.

Yuri almost lost track of time as she forced herself to close the book. She stretched her arms up then blew out the candle, looking to her bed with a tired look. She shuffled over then plopped onto it, rolling onto her back as she closed her eyes.


	3. Welcome to the Jungle

**===== Chapter 3 =====**

**Welcome to the Jungle**

The next morning, Yuri awoke well rested and ready to begin the journey. It was still hot and humid; Yuri could even feel it from inside her hotel room. She gathered her things, applied some of the bug repellant then left the hotel, making her way towards the Thundering Lizard to meet up with the others. As she walked through the streets, she could feel the heat bearing down on her again, but at least it was a bit more bearable thanks to her new clothes. She didn't even have her pack on and she was beginning to sweat. After a leisurely stroll through the town, she arrived at the inn and went inside. She looked around and found some of the members at a table eating, so she went over and took a seat, mostly keeping to herself as she ordered breakfast. Eventually, the rest of the group arrived as well as Azaka.

When Azaka approached the table, she sneered as her gaze came upon one of the wolves. She then did a mental count of the group and noticed one was missing. "Where's the halfling?" she asked.

Yuri looked around at the group, wondering if they knew his whereabouts. She noticed his absence as well but didn't want to say anything.

One of the members of the group then informed Azaka that Kade, the halfling, drank too much the night before and wasn't feeling well. He was upstairs sleeping it off in his room.

Azaka pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Off to a great start with one member already incapacitated, she thought. She then told the group to meet her at the mouth of River Shosenstar with their canoes; they'd begin the journey towards Camp Righteous there. After explaining things to the group, Azaka left to prepare. Once she left, the group decided to take care of any last-minute things before meeting up again.

Yuri finished her breakfast then left the group to head back to her hotel. She picked up her backpack and locked chest before checking out of the hotel. The chest had a set of wheels on one end and a handle on the other, making it easy for Yuri to wheel around. After taking care of her business at the hotel, she stopped by Prince O'tamu's residence to drop off the chest with Syndra while she was away. From there, she went back to the Thundering Lizard with questing gear in tow to meet up with the others.

Once everyone was ready, they retrieved the canoes from the market and carried them towards the mouth of the river. Of course, Yuri wasn't the heavy-lifting type, so some of the other members carried the canoes and other survival gear. Yuri just followed along, carrying her own backpack. They made their way to the coast, traveling along the edge of the jungle until they arrived at the meeting spot. In the distance, they saw Azaka sitting underneath a tree, patting a cat on the head until it scampered back into the underbrush.

After meeting with Azaka and getting the canoes into the water, they heard a rumbling in the underbrush near them. Suddenly, a wolf emerged dragging a still sleeping halfling through the sand. It appeared Kade's wolf followed their scent and dragged his master all the way there so he wouldn't miss the ride. The wolf plopped him into one of the canoes then got in himself, sitting patiently for the others. Yuri and the others just watched it all happen, tilting their heads slightly in disbelief before going about their business.

There was no way Azaka was going to sit in a boat with one of the wolves, so she took it upon herself to take the lead canoe along with Hafthor, Einar, and Yuri. Corin, Freya, and her wolf (Rollo) joined Kade and his wolf in the second canoe. Once they were all ready, they began making their way down the river. The current wasn't too strong and fortunately for them, they had a strong wind at their backs to help them along.

In her boat, Yuri let the more capable people take up the rowing. Being her small, fragile self, there was no way she could keep up at the quick pace they wanted to go at. Being so, she graciously allowed the others to handle all that while she sat in the canoe, though, it wasn't easy for her either. The heat and humidity were still ever present, frying her brains inside her head and causing her to sweat profusely, but that wasn't the worst of it. As soon as they began going up the river, the onslaught of bugs began. The repellant was doing a decent enough job of keeping them off her body, but the occasional fly-by and buzzing in her ear were enough to keep her on edge. Every now and then, she'd duck her head as a bug whizzed by her head. She tried her best to make it look like she wasn't bothered, but the constant paranoia made it very difficult to do that as well while keeping track of her surroundings.

The weather at least was clear, yet sunny and hot. The banks of the river were lined full of trees and underbrush with the occasional clearing. So far, the trip was quiet and Yuri was slowly beginning to get used to the jungle. During the canoe ride, Einar decided to ask Azaka about the mask they were after and why it was so important to her. She then told him it was a family heirloom and very precious to her. Yuri vaguely was listening to them talk, since they were in the same canoe, but she was more focused on keeping the bugs at bay. Later on, Azaka caught Corin taking a drink from the river and scolded him about the dangers of doing that. She warned about throat leeches that resided in the water, so drinking was limited to only rain water and freshwater sources. After hearing that, Yuri glanced over the side of the canoe into the clear water and took note of that. While she was looking into the river, they caught glimpse of a large snake swimming in the distance, but it passed by harmlessly. The rest of the trip was rather uneventful with it getting late in the evening not before long.

Since it was getting dark, they decided to stop and set up camp for the night. Hafthor kept a look out and found two potential spots, one on the east side of the river and one on the west. The east side looked like it had been camped at before, so they decided to spend the night there. They paddled over to the site and dragged the canoes onto shore, making sure they wouldn't drift away. Once on land, Yuri and the group looked around the area and began to get situated in. She was glad to finally be off the canoe and able to stretch her legs. She took her pack and walked around, occasionally swatting a bug away from her face.

As Hafthor was walking around, he found a tent that had blown away from its previous owner. It had a few holes but otherwise it was still intact enough. Inside, he found two Healer's Kits, one with a full use and one with half a use. He gathered everything up and returned to the others, giving the full kit to Freya and the other to Einar. Seeing him return with a tent made Yuri somewhat jealous. It was getting dark out and the clouds were coming in. A tent sounded like a very nice thing to have at the moment.

Before everyone turned in for the night, they established a schedule for the night's watch. Since Corin only needed four hours or so of meditation, he volunteered for the first watch followed by Azaka, Freya, then him again after his daily meditation. Yuri was in no condition to be staying up in the middle of the night to keep watch. She was one of two members of the group who couldn't see in the dark, the other being the blind monk. Since she couldn't help in that regard, she tried to find a nice spot to set up for the night.

Yuri looked around and found the flattest spot possible, keeping in close proximity to the others. She double-checked to make sure there weren't any bugs around her area then rolled out her bedroll on the grass. She then took off her pack and set it down beside the bedroll, taking out the last of her day's ration and finishing it off. As she sat on her bedroll eating, she looked around and watched the others winding down as well. The fading sunlight made it harder to see, but she could still make out mostly what was going on. Once she was done, she took off her cloak and formed a sort of pillow, lying down on her bedroll and resting her head on it. The jungle's inhabitants were still making noises which rang in Yuri's ears, keeping her wide awake. She exhaled in a frustrated manner and closed her eyes, trying to get as much sleep as she could.

The next day, Yuri awoke to a bad temper. She opened her eyes but refused to move, just lying there and loathing everything about her situation. It was hot, she had no bed, she was sweaty, and there were bugs everywhere. She finally sat up and looked around the campsite. Everyone was doing their own thing, so Yuri decided to take care of a few things before they went back on the river.

The first thing she did was apply a fresh coat of bug repellant; she had been lucky so far, so she didn't want to take any chances and let her guard down. After replenishing her defenses, she took out a ration and began digging in. Freya had caught some sort of rabbit creature and cooked it, but Yuri didn't trust her cooking enough to partake.

Once everyone had eaten breakfast, they began to tear down camp. It had rained overnight, so they were able to replenish their water supply from the day before. They all got a refill then took down the rain catchers. Once everything was ready to go, they got back in the canoes and continued onward. The arrangement was the same with Yuri in the lead boat with Azaka, Hafthor, and Einar and the rest in the other. The sky was cloudy and the air was still sticky and humid. Yuri wanted to read her book, but paper and water didn't mix well. It was also drizzling slightly, so it wouldn't be good for the book if she took it out. Having nothing to do, Yuri just sat in the canoe and tried not to think about how extremely uncomfortable she was.

The ride so far was almost as uneventful as the previous day's. Yuri was beginning to dose off until Azaka spotted a large snake approaching in the water. It was much larger than the snake they saw the day before. It weaved in-between the two canoes, swimming in the same direction they were rowing. The snake raised its head from under the water, looking to Yuri and the others in the front canoe. Suddenly, Azaka reached out and slapped the snake on top of its head, causing it to scurry off without a fight. It seemed like she hated snakes almost as she did wolves.

Once the snake was gone, Yuri returned to her idle state, unsure of what to do to pass the time. During the down time, Einar tried asking Azaka to teach him how to fish. He had purchased fishing equipment before they left Nyanzaru and wanted to learn the trade. Unfortunately, they were traveling at a quick pace, so Azaka had no time, or want for that matter, to teach him. Yuri just looked at Einar with a mystified and almost troubled expression, wondering how he could do anything without the ability to see. If she wasn't able to read her books, she didn't know what she'd do.

Later in the day, the group came upon their strangest encounter yet. As they were rowing along, the group began to see figures along the east bank of the river. The closer they got to them, the more details they could see. Their clothes were old and tattered and they didn't seem to be doing anything but standing around. Azaka finally broke the silence and told them that they were looking at the Blighted, the undead menace that had been plaguing the land. Yuri looked on in disbelief, having never imagined seeing such a sight. While Azaka was talking, they noticed one of the Blighted was staring right at them. It had a bright blue symbol, an upside down triangle, on its forehead and seemed to be aware of the group's presence. Shortly after the marked individual turned its attention towards the group, all the other Blighted in its general vicinity turned towards them as well.

Yuri kept her guard up, her hand poised on her sword. Azaka then reassured them that they were safe because the Blighted couldn't swim. The group continued to paddle on, eventually passing the Blighted by without incident.

The rest of the day's journey was quiet without anything eventful happening. It was already getting late, so they decided to set up camp for the night before making the final stretch towards Camp Righteous. Since the Blighted from earlier were spotted on the east side of the river, they set up camp on the west side. It wasn't as clear as before, but they made due. They brought the canoes onto shore then moved further into the brush. They didn't want to be seen from the river but also wanted to be close enough to the canoes just in case they had to abandon camp in a hurry. When they found a suitable spot, they began to set up camp. They set up the rain catchers again, this time setting up the third one that Kade had stashed somewhere in his pack. The rain had stopped, but it was still wet and cloudy. There was still a possibility that it could rain while they slept.

By the time they got off the canoes, Yuri was completely exhausted. She never imagined that she could be so tired from sitting around doing nothing. She gathered her pack and looked around for a place to sleep. Fortunately for her, Freya was making a makeshift shelter using one of the canoes and some branches and twigs. It had enough room for three, meaning there would be one spot remaining after Freya and her wolf each took a spot. As soon as she offered the third spot up, Yuri took it and made her way over. She didn't feel like sleeping out in the rain, so any cover was better than none. She didn't have a tent like Hafthor did and she was still a bit jealous of that. Freya was situated in the middle with her wolf on her left side.

Yuri rolled out her bedroll to the right of Freya and sat down on it. She had a headache and just wanted to go to bed. She took out what remained of her day's ration and finished it off. The schedule for the night's watch was the same as last, so she didn't have to worry about that. Once she was done eating, she lay down and tried to get some sleep.


	4. Camp Righteous

**===== Chapter 4 =====**

**Camp Righteous**

Before she knew it, Yuri slowly opened her eyes and realized it was morning. She coughed and cleared her throat, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She felt absolutely disgusting, but at least her headache was gone. She looked around and saw some of the group huddled together eating breakfast. Yuri applied more bug repellant then gathered her things, making her way over to them afterwards. She took a seat and took out a ration, eating part of it.

While they were eating, Corin mentioned that he saw three bright blue dots across the river while he was on watch last night. They didn't think much of it, since it was across the river, but they kept an eye out for trouble anyway. Once they were done eating, they packed up everything and continued with the canoes. They decided to row at slower pace to conserve energy for when they got there.

Azaka said at the rate they were going, they'd be at Camp Righteous by midday. In the distance, they saw smoke which meant they were getting close. After a while, they began to see parts of the camp. The strange thing was that it was eerily quiet. Even the surrounding jungle was quieter than usual. By then, they should've heard something, anything, but there was nothing but silence.

As the camp came into view, they began seeing tents and other things, but no people. Azaka told them the camp was a staging ground for expeditions and usually bustling with activity. In the distance, they saw a dock with two rowboats still tethered there. They decided to head over to it and beach the canoes nearby. Once they found a suitable spot, they secured the canoes and disembarked. Yuri decided to mind the boats and keep an eye on Kade while the others searched the camp. She didn't like the way things were looking, so she let the more capable members of the party deal with the unknown while she hung back with the canoes.

The rest of the group continued on into the camp while Yuri watched from the safety of the shore. As they approached the camp, Einar seemed to be crouching, almost as if he was trying to be stealthy. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the day and he was out in the open in the center of the group. They weren't exactly the best conditions to try and be stealthy in. Yuri cringed slightly at the poor display of stealth and checked on Kade who was still knocked out cold. The rest of the group kept their guard up and began investigating the site.

There didn't seem to be any immediate signs of a struggle. No blood, no bodies. Nothing. They did find lots of footprints and shoeprints, but their tracks seemed odd. It was all random and scattered, as if whoever left them didn't know which direction to go in. While looking around, they also noted that some of the tents had been burned, but they figured it must've been due to the ensuing panic rather than an attack. The group then split up to cover more ground with Freya and her wolf as one group, Einar and Corin as another, and Hafthor by himself.

Freya and her wolf decided to check the tents for anything useful to salvage. Einar heard what appeared to be a lone chicken in the distance and wanted to investigate, but Corin kept him on a short leash and checked the other tents. Meanwhile, Hafthor was looking towards the large statue in the back of the camp. It towered over the surrounding area and was made of stone carved out of the mountain it was in. It was a man sitting with a crocodile on his back peering over his shoulder. Underneath the statue was a cave-like opening that led further into the mountain. As Hafthor looked towards the entrance, he saw two masked figures just within the mouth of the cave. They appeared to be looking at him before disappearing back further into the cave. After seeing them, Hafthor went back to the shore and gathered everyone to his position.

Yuri saw him waving to her so she went over to him. She figured Kade's wolf would watch over him and keep him safe while she was away. When she met up with Hafthor and the others, they each reported what they saw. After Hafthor gave his report, he asked Azaka if she knew anything about the masked individuals. Azaka thought for a moment and said they could be goblins or the Batiri. They were known for being mischievous, but they weren't that big of a threat. Even in large numbers, they were more of an inconvenience rather than anything seriously dangerous. The camp was run by the Order of the Gauntlet, so they should have been able to handle themselves if they encountered the Batiri. It all seemed very strange to Azaka.

After discussing everything, they broke up into teams again and continued searching for clues. This time, Yuri went with Hafthor to check out a few of the tents that hadn't been touched yet. She looked for supplies to take, but all she found were used bedrolls and empty canteens; nothing worth taking in her mind.

During the second round of searching, Einar finally got a chance to check out the chicken from earlier. It was running around inside an animal pen, panicked and making loud noises. In an attempt to calm the bird down, he tried to feed it some oats and nuts. Unfortunately, the chicken wasn't having any of it and attacked him instead, giving him a minor cut. Elsewhere, Freya stumbled upon a tent used for religious purposes. Inside, she found blood, a severed foot, and a journal. When the group met up again, she told them all about her find. She read the journal and found out that the camp's inhabitants sent out a call for help, but it never came.

After most of the outer camp had been checked, they all looked to the large statue and the opening below it. Having nowhere else to go, they made their way up to check it out and look for the two goblins. As they climbed the steps up to the statue, Azaka told them the story behind the statue and the lore behind it. When they reached the top of the stairs, they all looked into the tunnel, seeing mostly a dark emptiness. They all prepared themselves and headed inside.

Corin and Hafthor took the lead since they had dark vision and could see in low light conditions. Einar was behind Corin with Freya and her wolf beside him. In the rear was Yuri and Azaka. Einar had a lit torch that Corin had given him to hold.

The light from the torch was well received by Yuri since she didn't have any means of seeing in the dark. As they went further inside, Yuri noticed something odd about the floor up ahead but decided not to say anything. She wasn't completely sure what she saw, so she kept alert but didn't tell anyone in case she was wrong. As they came closer to the spot in question, Yuri prepared herself as she watched the front of the group for anything to happen.

Corin and Hafthor were the first ones to reach it but nothing happened. Then Freya passed by it without anything unordinary happening. Maybe she was just seeing things, Yuri thought. Suddenly, the floor beneath Einar gave way and opened up to a trap door as he walked over the spot she noticed earlier. Yuri immediately stopped and watched as the torch plummeted towards the bottom of the pit. Luckily, Einar was able to grab on to a ledge and pull himself up, joining Freya and the others across the pit. They all looked into the pit and saw spikes lining the bottom along with a body wearing an Order of the Gauntlet uniform. Yuri then looked to the others on the opposite side of the pit and tried to figure out a way to get across. Freya's wolf just jumped across while Azaka said she'd just wait by the entrance and keep watch. Looking around the pit, Yuri spotted ledges along the walls that had just enough room to edge across. She exhaled calmly and moved into position, facing the wall just in case she had a misstep so she had a chance of catching the ledge. Not that she needed the extra precaution since she managed to get across without any trouble.

Once everyone was across, save for Azaka who stayed behind, they proceeded onwards but with a more cautious pace. Yuri was relieved, though, since Einar came out of that debacle unscathed. If he had died right there and then, she would have felt only slightly responsible. Perhaps she might've even had lost a minute of sleep just thinking about it. The thought quickly left her mind as she focused on what was ahead.

Shortly after the pit fall trap, Yuri happened to notice something else that was off up ahead. There was something odd about the walls and ceiling; there was a short gap between the two sections of the hallway which seemed very suspicious to Yuri. This time, she notified the group that she saw something instead of keeping silent like last time. The group stopped and looked to where Yuri was pointing to, but they couldn't figure out how the potential trap worked. In an attempt to trigger the trap purposely, Hafthor ran at the area in question and jumped through it, and to their surprise, nothing happened.

Even though Hafthor made it through unscathed, Yuri wasn't convinced it was totally safe. She took a closer look and was able to discern how the trap worked. To test her theory, she told Corin to reach out with his sword. He reluctantly obliged and as he did, a large axe came swinging down from one side of the hallway and disappeared into the gap in the other side. As the axe swung, it hit Corin's sword with a great amount of force, but he managed to keep a grip on it. Just as she suspected, she thought. During her inspection of the trap, she noticed two small rays of light, one about abdomen height and one a couple feet above head level. The two rays were shining from one side of the corridor and seemed to be what was triggering the swinging axe. She postulated that both of the lights had to be blocked in order for the trap not to activate, and since Corin only touched one, the trap went off. Of course, though, it was only a theory and she wasn't willing to test it herself.

Taking one for the team, Corin volunteered to test her theory. He took his shield and reached up to block the first trigger as well as the second. While he did that, Freya hesitantly walked through the trap along with her wolf and made it across in one piece. After her, Einar went through followed by Yuri. Last to come was Corin, who made it by without any difficulty. Once everyone was safely through, they continued on, reaching the end of the tunnel.

In front of them, they saw a door located on a raised ledge along with four panels arranged in a square. The panels seemed to be self-lit, but by what, they didn't know. Corin and Freya climbed up on the ledge to get a closer look at the panels while Yuri and the others waited below. They could reach the lower two panels but the upper two panels were far out of their reach. After figuring out that only touching two panels wouldn't work, they tried to get all four at once. Corin took the bottom two panels while Freya got on his shoulders and reached for the two top. As soon as all four panels were touched simultaneously, they heard an unlocking sound from the door before it started sliding open. Freya got down from Corin's shoulders and stood next to him, readying herself for whatever was behind the door.

Once the stone door was fully open, Freya and Corin looked inside the chamber. It seemed to be some sort of shrine with what appeared to be offerings placed all around. The main thing that stood out the most was a container of some sort sitting on a pedestal in the center of the room. While the rest of the room was covered in dust and cobwebs, the jug seemed to be relatively untouched. Before they entered the room, Corin asked Yuri to see if she could spot anything that looked like a trap.

Yuri acknowledged and climbed up on the ledge along with Corin and Freya to take a look for herself. She then peered into the chamber in question and didn't see anything that indicated a trap. While she did that, Einar made his way up as well to join them. Once Yuri gave the all clear, the four of them entered and looked around. The room seemed very old and hadn't been stepped into in quite some time. A layer of dust had covered the floor and their steps left noticeable footprints in it. There were baskets of what used to be food which were given as offerings, but by then the food was not but ash. Along with the food, there were gold coins strewn about as well as other random items that had little to no value. Yuri made sure not to touch anything in case they were booby trapped, but so far, she didn't notice anything that indicated a threat.

As the group walked around, Corin directed his attention towards the jug and gave it a closer look. The jug appeared to be nothing more than a normal jug except for the numerous holes that were each plugged with a cork. After his inspection, he remembered something like that called an Alchemist's Jug. Corin was about to grab it, but he hesitated and stopped even though Yuri said it looked clear. All of a sudden, Einar jumped on his back, mimicking the crocodile from the story, then took the jug. Corin paused to see if anything would happen then pushed Einar off him.

Along with the jug, they were able to scrounge up twenty-three gold coins. Once they had picked the chamber clean of any loot, the group made their way back to the entrance. There weren't any new surprises, so they just had to be wary of the traps from before. They made it back to the entrance safely and met back up with Azaka. They told her they didn't see the goblins but found the jug instead.

Almost immediately after they had left the cave, Einar returned to his personal quest to make the chicken from earlier his pet. He left the group and hurried over to the animal pen. Yuri just watched him run off and shook her head in disbelief. Apparently, he hadn't learned his lesson from the first time, she thought. Even so, she continued to watch him from afar in case something interesting happened. When Einar got to the pen he took off his pack and retrieved some rope. He planned to lasso the bird and keep it on a leash of sorts. While he was preparing the rope, Azaka came over to him and informed him that the chicken wasn't a chicken, but instead an axebeak, which was a dangerous wild animal. Even after the revelation, Einar continued with his plan. He was about to approach the creature again and lure it to him using food, but all of a sudden, Freya came over and interfered. She drew her shortsword and effortlessly separated the axebeak's head from its body in one swift swing.

"I found dinner!" said Freya as she took the dead axebeak back to the others.

Einar just remained kneeling on the ground, his gaze fixated on the bloody spot where the axebeak had once been and where his dreams currently lay. Azaka sighed and patted him on the shoulder before leaving him to join the others.

While the group was catching their breath outside the statue, Yuri noticed movement in the distance. She looked towards a row of tents and saw figures moving about. At the same time, Einar got a hold of himself and heard movement outside the large tents. Yuri and Einar alerted the rest of the group and they prepared themselves. Hafthor was at the canoes with Kade, so he had to fend for himself for the time being.

As Yuri looked towards the tents, the culprits who were making all the noise and movement decided to show themselves. Little, tiny goblins, or the Batiri as Azaka called them, began appearing from behind the tents. They were wearing brightly colored masks and wielding crude weapons ranging from wooden sticks sharpened into spears to rusty shortswords. To the left of the group, they saw one goblin seemingly floating in the air above one of the large tents. Behind the main group of goblins to the group's right, they noticed a slightly larger goblin who appeared to be giving orders to the other ones. It was still small, no larger than a person's waist, but it definitely appeared to be a bit taller than the rest. Yuri readied herself for a fight, keeping a hand on her rapier just in case.

Seeing the goblins approach, Corin called Azaka over to see if she could somehow talk to them. Azaka moved to the front of the group and began talking to the supposed leader of the goblins. Her knowledge of their language was a bit rusty as her first exchange with the goblin leader confused it, but after a bit, she managed to communicate clearly enough. She asked what the goblins were doing there and if they had anything to do with the empty camp.

After getting an answer, Azaka translated the goblin's words and relayed it to the group. Apparently, the goblins had their eyes on the temple and whatever treasures lay inside. When they tried to explore the cave themselves, they failed and didn't attempt it again. Since they weren't able to get the treasure themselves, they waited for someone else to get it then steal it afterwards. As for the camp, they had nothing to do with it being empty, but they did see who was responsible. According to them, undead activity was on the rise as of late. One day, a large group of undead swept through the camp and left no survivors.

After Azaka was done explaining everything, the goblins started to bang their weapons against their masks to try and intimidate Yuri and the others. Suddenly, the goblin that was floating above the tent began to move and came fully into view. As soon as she saw it, Yuri was momentarily dumbfounded as the tall goblin was actually three goblins all standing on top of one another. Corin tried to ask Azaka if she could tell them to just leave, but the goblins insisted on taking the treasure and wouldn't go without it.

Still wanting to end it peacefully, Corin attempted to try and intimidate them into leaving. He clanged his sword against his sword but then lost his grip on it. He fumbled around with it and caught it before it hit the ground. Instead of making their enemy flee, the goblin leader shouted to her minions and attacked. Yuri drew her sword and watched as the goblins rushed their front line. Corin and Einar were up front and took the brunt of the initial attack. The goblins clashed against Corin's shield, getting a couple of light hits against his legs. Back behind the front line, the goblin leader continued to bark orders at her underlings while a couple of them used their bows to fire at Freya.

While Yuri was focused on the fighting in front of her, a couple of goblins flanked around one of the big tents and caught her by surprise. The two goblins were stacked on one another with the top one taking a swing at her with its sword. Having just noticed the two goblins at the last second, she was able to dodge most of the swipe, only getting a slight cut on her shoulder. Yuri regained her footing and glanced to her wound on her left arm. She cursed under her breath then looked to the stack of goblins with a furious look. She lunged at the stack and impaled her rapier right into the middle of the bottom goblin's mask, all the while shouting obscenities at the creature. She twisted her sword as the goblin's body began to go limp then withdrew it with a single pull, a grin of pure bloodlust spanning from ear to ear on her face. As the bottom goblin fell over dead, the goblin it was holding dropped to the ground prone next to its body. The remaining goblin looked up to see Yuri eyeing it with killer intent. The goblin panicked and before Yuri could finish it off, it ran off to join its comrades. Yuri scowled in disappointment but knew better than to pursue it lest she get ambushed again. She then chose to pull back and relocated to behind Corin and Einar.

By the time Yuri had regrouped with the others, her teammates had made some progress with the large group. Corin and Einar had managed to each kill a goblin while Freya had started to return fire with her bow, taking out one of the goblin archers. The stack of three goblins from earlier had joined the main flight, but they were more of a distraction than anything due to their wobbly movements. Corin and Einar had gotten a few more hits landed on them, but they were holding the line. Yuri continued to watch from the safety of the rear, ready to lend a hand if the others began to get overwhelmed. Azaka had joined the fight as well, using her two scimitars to cut down one of the goblins. Freya continued to provide long-range support and shot down another goblin.

Meanwhile, Corin and Einar focused their attention on the three stack of goblins. Before they engaged it, Einar used a healing spell on Corin then helped him take it on. Einar focused his attacks on the middle goblin, knocking it backwards and causing the top goblin to be supported by the bottom goblin. The top goblin tried to escape by jumping away, but Corin struck it down before it could get away. As the top goblin was killed, the bottom one tried to make a run for it. Azaka saw it try to run and pulled out her longbow, firing a shot at it and hitting it, though it wasn't enough to stop it. Freya then took aim and skillfully put it down with a well-placed arrow. Soon enough, Yuri and the others outnumbered the goblins until only the leader remained.

Seeing an opening, Yuri charged forward and hurled a throwing knife at the goblin leader for a final kill. Unfortunately, the knife struck the edge of the mask and didn't penetrate to cause any damage. Yuri sneered as Einar and Corin advanced towards the goblin leader to finish it. Einar reached it first and lashed out with an attack, but the goblin managed to dodge it as it retreated. Finding itself horribly outmatched and outnumbered, the goblin quickly dropped its weapons and fell to its knees. It began bowing and mumbling as if it were begging for its life. Corin approached the goblin and held his sword by its neck, poised to strike her down if she tried anything funny.

Once the fighting was over, everyone walked over to the goblin leader to interrogate it. When Yuri got there, she retrieved the knife that was still stuck in its mask. The others surrounded it, looking to one another about what to do next. Suddenly, Azaka drew her swords and postured to strike the goblin down, saying that the Batiri should be exterminated whenever possible and that no matter how many were killed, more would always show up. Before Azaka could kill it, Corin intervened saying he wanted to interrogate it first. Azaka frowned then stood down, allowing him to talk to the goblin leader.

Corin sheathed his sword then searched the goblin for any more weapons. He took the two javelins on her back then checked her belt. There, he found a small pouch and took it, opening it up and to find seventeen gold coins and a few silver rings. Upon closer inspection, Corin noticed the Order of the Gauntlet's emblem on the rings. He then dumped the contents of the pouch on the ground and showed the rings to the goblin, asking where she got them. The goblin was frightened but managed to explain itself. She said she looted them from the dead bodies of the camp, but they were already dead when they got there. Corin then inquired about the lack of bodies around the camp to which the goblin said they disposed of them in the jungle. He eyed the goblin closely, but it seemed to be telling the truth.

While they had the goblin's attention, Einar asked it which direction the undead that attacked the camp went. The goblin replied by pointing everywhere, suggesting that the undead just dispersed in no particular direction. After asking about the undead, Einar said he wanted the goblin's mask then just took it.

After they were done questioning it, they were unsure of what to do with the goblin, whether to kill it or let it go. After a few tense moments, Corin stepped up and grabbed the goblin, tossing it towards the tree line and pointing towards it. The goblin leader hesitantly got to its feet and started backing away, keeping its eyes on Yuri and the others to make sure they didn't stab her in the back. After a few more feet, it turned around and ran for the jungle.

Once the goblin was gone, Yuri and the others relaxed and turned their attention back to the camp. Einar asked Azaka for help and went to pack up a couple of the tents that were still in decent condition. Corin looked to Yuri and Freya and healed their wounds using his magic. After getting her cut patched up, Yuri went to loot the goblin corpses for anything useful. She walked around the camp while the others did their own thing, inspecting each of the dead goblins. All she managed to find were a couple of gold pieces of jewelry from one of the goblin's necklaces.

After refilling her canteen at the camp's well, Yuri spotted Corin carrying a dead body along with Einar and Kade. Apparently, Einar found the body in the outhouse he was utilizing. He called Corin over when he heard a metallic sound as he was taking a leak. Upon further inspection, it was an Order of the Gauntlet soldier that had gotten stuck in the outhouse's hole. They enlisted Kade's help and lowered the halfling into the excrement hole to pull out the body. When they finally got it out, they noticed the soldier had his neck split open and had died from the wound.

Corin built a funeral pyre for the soldier in the middle of the camp and said a few words for him. Unexpectedly, Corin turned to Yuri and asked her to say a prayer. Yuri was caught off guard and hesitated to think of something. She then remembered the only prayer she knew and said it, adding in a wheat-themed flair to it.

Once the ceremony was over, the group continued to make any last-minute preparations before they continued on their journey. After being down the hole in the outhouse, Kade began feeling sick and couldn't make the journey on foot in his current condition. Hafthor elected to stay behind with Kade at the camp and watch the canoes. He also planned to use one of the larger tents and make canopies for the canoes while the group was doing the side quest for Azaka. Before leaving, Yuri cleaned off her blade and picked up one of the tents Einar and Azaka had torn down. She attached the tarp to the outside of her backpack and put all the components inside.


	5. The Fire Finger

**===== Chapter 5 =====**

**The Fire Finger**

By the time they were ready to go, it was early in the afternoon. Azaka led the way into the jungle towards the Fire Finger followed by Corin, Einar, Yuri, Freya, and her wolf, Rollo. Upon entering the jungle proper, it was a completely different atmosphere than before. Whereas it was breezy and open on the river, the air amongst the trees was humid and the canopy was thick, blocking out most of the sun's rays. At least that made it a bit cooler, but it was still very humid. Worst of all, though, was the large increase in the number of bugs around. Yuri kept her hood up and her head down, rather suffering from the heat than the insects that buzzed around. She groaned as she hiked along through the jungle with her heavy pack on her back.

Azaka continued to lead the way through the brush, occasionally hacking away at foliage that was in the way with one of her scimitars. Along the way, she warned the group of "assassin vines", hostile flora that preyed on unsuspecting prey. She then spotted a few of the vines and swung at them, causing them to withdraw. The group continued to follow her while being cautious of their surroundings. During their hike, they came across a trail of flattened vegetation with a slimy film along it. Azaka took a closer and deduced that a flail snail had traveled through there. She mentioned that if they ever were in need of a water source and found one of those trails, they should follow it since flail snails travel from water source to water source.

Yuri and the others continued walking at a normal pace for the rest of the afternoon. When it began to get dark, they stopped and looked for a suitable place to set up camp. Azaka looked around and used her swords to clear out some of the brush to make a clearing. While Azaka was working on that, Freya and Corin went and searched for some food. They found some safe fruit to eat while Rollo caught a rabbit-like creature. When Azaka was ready, she cleaned and prepped the "rabbit" for cooking then made a stew using the meat and fruit they found. She was able to make just enough for everyone, so she gave a little to all of them, including Yuri. Yuri figured she'd try and save her rations, so she decided to have some of her cooking.

After dinner, they continued to set up camp for their night in the jungle. The others set up two rain catchers just in case; Hafthor figured they could use another, so he gave them his in the meantime. Now that Yuri had a tent, she was possibly able to get a good night's sleep. She set the tent up and made sure it was secure before going inside. It was meant for two people, but since she had it all to herself, she had plenty of room. The lineup for watch was the same as always, so Yuri was able to sleep uninterrupted.

The next morning, Yuri awoke relatively well rested thanks to her new setup. It also helped that she was tired the night before and was getting used to sleeping on nothing but her bedroll. She seemed to have a little bit of time to spare before they moved on, so she applied more bug repellant and organized her pack better. After that, she left her tent and began packing it up. While the others were tearing down camp and getting ready to move, Yuri snacked on a ration and prepared for more walking.

When everyone was ready, they continued on with Azaka at the lead, traveling at a normal pace through the jungle. As they were walking along, Yuri noticed they were walking on an incline as they got higher in elevation. The further they went up, the hotter it seemed to get as the trees began thinning out.

Around noon, they reached a clearing at the top of the hill. Just as they got there, it began to rain which cooled things off slightly. Yuri was finally able to catch her breath and breathe freely as they were able to see the sky again.

In the distance, Azaka pointed out where they were headed: the Fire Finger. It was a tall rock pillar, about three hundred feet tall, with a large flame at the top. Around the airspace above the pillar, they saw specks flying around. Yuri then spotted another speck but it was closer than the others. Azaka told Yuri and the group that those were the "Terrorfolk", the scum that stole her mask from her. The one that Yuri saw was a scout and Azaka mentioned they should stay well clear of it and others like it.

After taking a break, the group continued down the other side of the hill. As they continued on, they sky began to disappear as the trees grew denser. It also began to get cooler again which was nice.

It was late in the afternoon and they began to notice how quiet things were. It wasn't a normal quiet, but an eerie stillness that was unusual for their surroundings. There were no sounds from insects, animals, or anything else. All they could hear were their footsteps and their breathing. Along with the dead silence, they also noticed a foul stench that would come and go. As they moved along, the quiet around them persisted, but the smell came and went.

The next time they smelled the foul odor, Azaka stopped the group and looked for its source. She then spotted it and pointed through the trees. The group looked to where she was pointing and spotted a group of seven zombies, or what appeared to be them. The figures were just standing in place, wearing tattered clothes and not doing much of anything else. Yuri and the others made sure not to make any loud noises as they decided on what to do. They could go around the zombies and avoid them, but the group decided to stay and wipe them out. Since they were going to be dealing a lot with the undead in the future, they decided to take the group of zombies on to try and learn something about what made them tick.

Once they were in agreement, the group moved into attack position to launch a surprise attack while they still had the element of surprise on their side. Corin and Einar were going to be the bait and try to hold the zombies' attention while Freya and Yuri flanked around to pick them off one by one.

The zombies were spread out just enough that Yuri could easily target a secluded zombie and not be detected. She snuck through the brush after taking off her pack and leaving it by Azaka in the rear. She quietly drew her rapier as she moved into position behind a tree, her target dead in her sights. She looked to the others as they readied themselves, poised to attack on Corin's signal.

When it was time, Yuri moved out from her cover and lunged at the zombie she had targeted. Fortunately, the zombie had its back to her, so she took her sword and impaled it right through the heart. She expected that single strike to do the job, but the zombie seemed to be unaffected by the injury. Yuri withdrew her sword and quickly dashed for cover behind the tree before she was noticed. After getting impaled, the zombie let out a groan then slowly turned around to see nothing there. It then turned back around as the others began their attack.

Yuri was perplexed as a strike through the heart would have killed anyone. Then again, she was dealing with something that was already dead, so she had to aim elsewhere, she figured. After regaining her posture, she tried again and attacked the zombie once more, this time plunging her sword through its head. It seemed to do the trick as the zombie went limp and fell to the ground. Yuri withdrew her sword and looked to the others.

Corin and Einar had engaged the main bulk of zombies while Freya opened fire on another secluded zombie. In the middle of the zombies towards the back, Yuri noticed one of them had the same blue mark on its forehead that they had seen earlier. The fighting continued as Corin managed to cut down one of the zombies.

As Yuri watched her teammates fight, she witnessed Einar make a horrible blunder. Hearing Corin doing work beside him, Einar rushed towards a zombie and attempted to strike it, but he tripped on some roots and fumbled to the ground. As he got back on his feet, the zombie with the blue mark charged at him and landed a solid hit on his jaw. Yuri almost felt embarrassed herself for just watching it. Corin and Einar continued to exchange blows with the undead, either side not giving in. To give them an edge, Corin cast a spell on Einar to give him added protection. Einar then delivered a flurry of blows on the zombie with the blue mark, but it wasn't enough to take it down. He then disengaged and moved around to get into a better position.

As Einar relocated, a zombie had turned towards him to attack. Yuri took action and came to his aid, slashing it with her sword to get its attention. Once the zombie turned towards Yuri, Einar hit the zombie which caused it to miss its attack on her. Seeing an opening, Yuri counter-attacked and impaled the zombie through its head, finishing it off.

Yuri and the others began to gain the upper hand as the zombies' numbers began to dwindle. Rollo had managed to take one out and Azaka had fired a couple of shots from her longbow to do some damage. Corin then seized the opportunity to deal a decisive blow by taking out the zombie with the blue mark.

Corin cast a spell on his sword which made it glow slightly. He then brought his longsword down onto the zombie, tearing into its flesh as he cleaved it in two. The zombie began to burn and turned to ash thanks to the spell Corin cast earlier. The zombie seemed to be stronger and more resilient than the others, so Yuri was glad she didn't have to fight it. It also appeared to be leading the other zombies through its loud shouts, so without it, the rest should be easy to take care of.

There were only two zombies left, so Yuri and the others converged on them to finish them off. Einar managed to get one of them while the others got a few hits on the last one, but Freya skillfully got the final hit in with an arrow. Yuri and the others regrouped and made sure the area was clear before letting their guard down. While they kept alert, the overpowering foul stench began to dissipate as the natural sounds of the jungle came back.

Once the all clear was given, Yuri let out an exhale as she loosened up, a little on edge after their engagement. The undead were like nothing she had ever fought before. They were already dead which meant she had to use unorthodox methods when dealing with them, but she'd manage. She grabbed a rag and cleaned off her blade before sheathing it as she looked around.

To make sure the zombies would stay down, Corin cast a spell on his sword and went around stabbing each zombie corpse in the head as a precaution. Einar inspected a few of the corpses but found nothing of value. Yuri didn't feel like touching the undead, so she passed on looting the rotting corpses.

While Yuri was walking around, she noticed something on one of the corpses that Azaka had kicked on the ground. She knelt down and saw that the corpse was of an elf and he was wearing an Order of the Gauntlet uniform. Located on his belt was a scroll which Yuri took and opened up. The scroll was written in elvish and seemed to be from the Order of the Gauntlet's headquarters in Chult. Luckily, elvish was a language Yuri knew; she had to learn it in her youth thanks to all the elf diplomats that frequented the castle. The message confirmed that the headquarters had received Camp Righteous' request for assistance and would be sending reinforcements. They were set to arrive in a couple weeks according to the dispatch. Yuri rolled the scroll back up and gave it to Corin. Seemed the message never got to the camp, Yuri thought.

After finishing up with the post-battle clean up, the group continued on towards the Fire Finger. The rest of the hike was uneventful as they came within a couple miles of their destination. By then, it was getting dark so Azaka recommended they stop for the night. She also recommended that when they planned to assault the Fire Finger, they should either do it during the night or when it was raining. During the night, they'd have the cover of darkness to mask their approached and during the rain, it would cover any noise they made. In both scenarios, there wouldn't be any scouts in the air to alert the others; they would either be asleep or trying to keep dry. The group decided to go with the night option as it would give them the most advantage. Even though Yuri couldn't see that well during the night, she was no stranger to night operations.

While there was still light out, the group set up camp and decided to get some sleep before proceeding during the dead of night. Yuri set up her tent and tried to get comfy. They tried to keep their location hidden, so they didn't make a fire. She just had to rely on what little sunlight was left to see what she was doing. After rolling out her bedroll in her tent, she ate a bit of a ration then turned in.

Yuri was having an odd dream until it was abruptly interrupted by someone crouched over her nudging her awake. She almost panicked and stabbed the intruder until she realized it was just Corin. She calmly gave him a nod before he left to wake the next person. It was still dark out, so Yuri tried her best to get everything packed up as quietly as she could. After applying her daily dose of bug repellant, she picked up her pack and joined the others. It had begun raining, so they were in an opportune position to begin their approach.

The closer they got to the Fire Finger, the trees began to thin out. As they were walking, they came across a mangled body on the ground. When they got closer to inspect the body, they saw that it was an elf. His limbs were all broken and bent out of shape and his chest was blown open. It appeared the damage was caused by blunt force trauma, so they supposed the elf had been thrown off the top of the Fire Finger by the Terrorfolk and died from the fall. There was nothing they could do for the body, so they continued on. After a short walk, they encountered another body. This time, it was a dwarf and it was in a similar condition to the elf. The more they walked, the more bodies they came across as they came up to the base of the Fire Finger. Some of the bodies were decayed and old while some were fresher looking.

When they arrived at the base of the rock formation, Azaka told them about the last time she was there. She was exploring the area then got ambushed by the Terrorfolk. That was when she got her mask stolen. She pointed towards a rope ladder with wooden rungs and said it led up to the first level of the Fire Finger. There used to be a second ladder that went further up, but it got damaged when Azaka was ambushed.

Having no other way up, the group looked to the rope ladder. The ladder appeared sturdy enough, but the heavier members of the group were still hesitant. Being the lightest member, Freya volunteered to go first to scout out the area. She grabbed the first rung of the ladder and started her climb up. She made it up no problem and peeked over the top of the ledge to make sure it was clear. Seeing nothing, she climbed up and gave the all clear to everyone below. Unfortunately, Rollo couldn't follow them and had to wait down below for them to return.

After Freya, Yuri went up the ladder, making it up to her with no issue at all; she was used to climbing things, so a ladder was easy enough. Once she was clear, Einar went next but managed to break one of the rungs in the process. Fortunately, Corin and Azaka made it up despite the missing step, and joined the others.

Once the group was on the first level of the Fire Finger, Freya took the lead followed by Yuri then the others behind her. With her dark vision, Freya was able to see in the dark, but only for a short distance. They came across a large chamber with a smaller passage off to their right. Freya went down the side passage to scout ahead followed by Yuri. The two of them walked for a bit but ended up in a loop that went around to the main chamber. With nowhere else to go, the group looked to the main chamber for a way to continue on.

Upon further inspection, they spotted a raised ledge that was across a pit. The jump looked doable, so Corin got a running start and leapt over to the ledge, making it safely across. He looked around for a way up and saw an opening in the ceiling. If someone were able to scale the sides and make it all the way up, they could drop down a rope for the others to climb up. He quickly called over to the others to join him.

Einar heard him and prepared to jump next. On the ledge, Corin readied himself to catch Einar in case he fell short. Einar listened for Corin and made a running jump towards him. He almost didn't make it but Corin was able to grab him and help him up. Next was Freya, but when she took the leap, she missed as Corin failed to catch her. She hit the slope in front of the ledge and slid down into the pit which was around ten feet deep.

When Freya got to the bottom, she paused and got her bearing. Suddenly, they heard something stirring in the walls. When the two elves got a closer look with their dark vision, they saw large spider legs coming out from holes in the pit's walls.

Worried as to what was going on, Yuri pulled out a torch and lit it to get a better look. When her torch illuminated the chamber and the pit below, she gasped in horror as she witnessed three large spiders come into view at the bottom of the pit. She then realized that Freya was down there with them and couldn't get out. Completely grossed out and disgusted by the giant arachnids, Yuri couldn't bring herself to go down there and help her.

Einar, on the other hand, had no problem getting into the thick of things. He jumped down into the pit with Freya and attacked the spider closest to her. After he launched his attack, the spider counterattacked and got a big hit on him as he landed, giving him a bit of poison damage as well. While Einar was distracting the spider next to her, Freya fired an arrow at the farthest spider but it failed to kill it. The spider shook off the hit and charged at her, using one of its mandibles to strike her. The other two spiders took a few swings at Einar, but fortunately the stumbling caused by the first hit made them miss.

Yuri watched from the relative safety of the top of the pit, not wanting to get any closer to the spiders. Even so, she had to do something in order to help her teammates. She reached for a throwing knife on her belt and chucked it at the spider attacking Freya. The knife struck home as the spider rolled onto its back, its legs withdrawing and withering against its body. It seemed that Freya's arrow did more damage than it appeared to do.

At the same time, Corin decided to join the fray and slid down into the pit net to Freya and Einar. He took his sword and delivered a lethal blow to the spider closest to him and the others. The spider collapsed to the ground and ceased moving. After regaining his footing, Einar directed his attention to the last spider and finished it off with his quarter staff.

After the spiders were dealt with, everyone took a moment to rest and recuperate. Freya used a spell and tended to Einar's wounds the best she could. Yuri got a running start and jumped over to the ledge that contained the way forward. From there, she called to Corin to grab her knife from the spider she killed; she had no intention of getting up close to it in order to retrieve it herself. Corin obliged and got the knife for her, holding on to it until he joined her up on the edge.

Once Azaka had joined Yuri on the ledge after a graceful leap, Yuri took her rope and lowered it into the pit so the others could climb out. They climbed up the rope and took a moment to catch their breath on the ledge.

While there, Corin told them about the hole in the ceiling, except it was around one hundred feet up a near vertical climb. They all tried to figure out a way up until Freya volunteered to just climb up and drop down some rope. Her rope wasn't long enough so Corin gave her his to tie to her own. When she was ready, Corin gave her a boost so she could get a better grip. She slipped as she began her ascent, but Corin caught her and helped her get her footing back. She then got a firm grasp of the rock face and climbed all the way up without any more trouble.

When Freya got to the opening in the ceiling, she checked for any hostiles before climbing all the way up onto the second level. She looked around the room that the hole opened up into. There was nothing there but she did spot a hallway that led further into the cave. Before she dropped the rope down for the others, she scouted the passageway to make sure there weren't any enemies there to ambush them. It all seemed clear, so she went back to the hole and prepared to lower the rope down. She took her rope and securely tied Corin's rope to it before fastening one end around a rock. Taking the other end, she tossed it down and gave the all clear to the rest of the group waiting below.

Einar decided to go up the rope first and began his climb, joining Freya up on the second level. Once he was clear, Yuri went next. Since she needed both hands to climb, she dropped her torch off to the side so she at least had a little light on the way up. She took hold of the rope and easily climbed up even with her heavy pack weighing her down. Azaka went after her followed lastly by Corin. Once he was up top, he took the rope and separated it, taking his half and giving the rest back to Freya.

Freya continued to lead the way as she scouted ahead, seeing a passage to her left and another to her right. She felt a slight breeze from the one on her right, so she hurried in that direction followed by the rest of the group. As Corin passed by the fork in the cave, he looked into the passage on the left and noticed something slumped over on the ground in the back of the chamber. He took a moment to give it a closer look and saw something shiny. Curious, he took a few steps towards it and realized he was looking at a dead Halfling. It appeared all dried up and withered.

Yuri noticed Corin veering off from the group and went over to see what he was up to. When she got to the chamber Corin was slowly making his way into, she noticed something was off and looked up. There, she saw eight bat-like creatures hanging upside down on the ceiling. They appeared to be sleeping so she quietly got Corin's attention and pointed upwards towards them. Corin stopped and looked over his shoulder to see Yuri motioning towards something. When he looked up as well, he saw the bats and guessed those were the creatures that killed the Halfling. Finding himself right in the middle of their lair, he abandoned his investigation of the shiny object and carefully backed up out of the chamber, joining Yuri and heading out to meet the rest of the group.

At the end of the corridor Freya had chosen to go down, they found themselves outside with a ledge going around the side of the rock formation to their right and left. They were pretty high up, so Freya scouted ahead and went down the left side to see where it went before the others followed. Shortly after she left, she returned saying it was a dead end. She then went down the right side and after a bit, motioned for the others to follow after her. She had found a ladder that led up to the next level.

The ledge was rather narrow, so the group made sure to watch their footing as they advanced towards Freya's position at the end of the path. As Yuri was inching her way along, a strong gust of wind came over the group and almost blew her off the ledge. She grabbed hold of the rock face and steadied herself, remaining calm as the gust finally died down. When it was calm again, she continued on as if nothing had happened. Heights didn't bother her in the slightest, so she had no problem making it all the way to Freya.

When the group had caught up to Freya, they looked to the ladder which went up another eighty feet or so. It was rope ladder with wooden rungs just like the last one. Freya volunteered to go first and went up the ladder, scouting the floor directly above them before the others went up. She came upon the landing and didn't see anyone, but she did see light flickering from inside a chamber on the right side of the hallway. She didn't hear any voices, which was a good sign, but she remained vigilant all the same. As quietly as she could, she climbed fully up and slowly crept over towards the chamber with the light coming from it. She peeked her head inside and saw four creatures sleeping on cots and piles of old clothes. They appeared to be scaly and had wings and a long beak. These had to be more of the Terrorfolk they had seen earlier from afar. She tiptoed back to the edge and peered over, motioning the others to come up but to do so in a very quiet manner.

Corin gave a nod and went up first, careful not to make any sounds that would wake up the Terrorfolk that were asleep nearby. After him, Einar climbed the ladder, and just like last time, managed to break one of the ladder's rungs. Fortunately, the broken rung didn't make any noise as it fell off the side of the Fire Finger. Yuri gave an exasperated sigh and went next, managing to make it passed the broken rung and all the way up. Lastly, Azaka went up and joined the others outside the room with the sleeping Terrorfolk.

After regrouping, Freya quietly relayed what she saw in the chamber to the others and allowed them to decide what to do next. They were mostly set on taking out the Terrorfolk in their sleep, but before they decided to execute their plan, they had Freya scout the rest of the level to see if they could just bypass the room entirely. Acknowledging, she sneakily moved passed the room and looked around the corner to see an odd sight. The corridor ended with a dead end and another opening in the ceiling similar to the one they previously climbed up, but that wasn't the oddity. The thing that stood out was a figure lying on the ground below the hole in the ceiling. It seemed to be tied up with rope and didn't appear to be like the Terrorfolk they saw in the room. The creature had feathers and didn't look to be one of them. Once she saw everything she needed to, she went back to report her findings.

Having no other choice, they decided to kill the Terrorfolk before proceeding any further. They didn't want to risk alerting the bound person at the end of the corridor by trying to bypass the room with the Terrorfolk. With no other option, they prepared themselves and quietly snuck into the room. Yuri led the way and stood over one of the Terrorfolk as did Einar, Freya, and Corin. Azaka stood in the middle of them, poised to finish off any Terrorfolk that might survive the initial attack. Once everyone was in position, they all drew their weapons quietly and prepared themselves for a simultaneous attack. They all looked to Yuri, waiting for her to strike first as if they somehow knew she had done this plenty of times before.

Taking her rapier in hand, Yuri stood over her slumbering target which was completely unaware of her presence. With a swift flick of her hand, she inverted her sword and thrust it down into the creature's head. The blade easily pierced through the skull, killing its owner without a single sound. The others weren't as fortunate.

Einar, using his quarterstaff, gave his target a good knock on the head, but all it did was stir it awake. Luckily for him, Azaka was there waiting with her scimitars and finished it off with a single lethal strike. Freya was in the same situation and was unable to kill her target with a single hit, so Azaka used her other scimitar and gave it a clean swipe as well, cutting it down before it could let out a sound. Corin, thankfully, managed to take care of his target by himself and used his longsword to kill it in one hit. The attack lasted maybe ten seconds at most but felt like minutes as everyone looked to each other to see if they had raised the alarm.

Once it was all quiet and their targets taken care of, the group relaxed. Immediately, Azaka began searching around the room for her mask, checking every nook and cranny as well as the dead bodies. While she was inspecting the bodies of the dead Terrorfolk, she noticed that they were a lot older looking and figured they were the elders of this group. After going around the room, Azaka couldn't find her mask and guessed it was elsewhere, probably at the very top.

With the immediate threat out of the way, the group went to see what was up with the supposed prisoner. As they went back towards the prisoner, Azaka pushed passed the group to help him. She seemed to know the creature, or at least, was familiar with him. When she knelt down beside the creature, it began to panic but calmed down once it saw Azaka was trying to help it. Azaka took a knife and cut the bonds around his wrists and ankles, freeing the bird creature from its bondage. It turned out he was an Aarakocra.

Once the prisoner was free, the Aarakocra looked to Azaka and thanked her in his native tongue. Yuri didn't understand the language, but Azaka seemed to speak it as she tried to give a reply in the same language. At least, she tried to but her words only seemed to confuse the person. She apologized then tried speaking in Common. The Aarakocra replied in Common but had a thick accent. He said he was from Kir Sabal but I don't remember his name. He was captured by the Terrorfolk while out scouting and had been a captive ever since. After explaining his story, he bid Yuri and the others farewell, telling them that they were always welcome in Kir Sabal if they ever stopped by.

After the Aarakocra left, the group looked to the hole in the ceiling and prepared to continue on with their mission. Like last time, Freya took Corin's rope and went to climb up to the hole. Since she had done this before, Freya easily made the climb up to the opening and stealthily looked around. There was a mound of dirt that surrounded the circular opening, so she had a little cover after moving out from the hole. It seemed they finally made it to the top of the Fire Finger. The night sky was fully visible above her as she scanned her surroundings. The roof was mostly flat and empty with a small stone structure next to the opening she was near. On top of the structure was the large signal fire that was still ablaze. Freya noticed voices from within the adjacent structure, so she made sure to keep silent as she secured the rope and motioned for the others to begin climbing.

Einar grabbed hold of the rope and made his way up. Once he was clear, Yuri went up next but a bit slower than last time; she was getting rather tired from all the climbing she had to do with her heavy pack on. When Yuri got to the top, the space around the opening was beginning to grow scarce so she stealthy left the circle and hid behind it to make room for the others. Azaka went up next and carefully joined Yuri outside the dirt circle, taking cover behind the mound. Last up was Corin who wasn't as careful as the others were when he arrived at the top.

As Corin climbed up out of the hole, he slipped on the dirt which caused his sword and shield to clang on the stone lip of the opening. After hearing the disturbance, the voices inside the stone hut began to get louder and more frantic. Corin and the others within the circle decided to set up an impromptu ambush while they still had the element of surprise barely on their side. Corin and Einar quickly moved up to the door leading to the hut and took up position on either side. Freya readied her bow from behind cover in the dirt circle while Azaka drew her scimitars from beside Yuri. Yuri just remained hidden behind the dirt mound, waiting to see how things played out.

When the voices got closer, Corin and Einar prepared themselves to strike. When the first enemy came through the door, the party launched their attack. Corin struck first with his longsword and brought it down on the lead enemy. Freya fired an arrow at the same target, but Corin's hit made her miss her shot. Einar somehow got turned around in the initial chaos of the battle and swung wildly, missing his target as he lost his balance and began leaning towards the dirt pile. He then completely lost his footing on the dirt and tumbled down towards the hole in the floor, barely catching himself before falling all the way in. After recovering from his tumble, he returned to help the others.

Seeing an opening left by Einar at the front, Azaka charged forward and jumped out from cover, leaping across the hole and attacking the first enemy she could with her two scimitars. She got right in front of the Terrorfolk Corin had injured and brought her swords slicing down, putting all her energy into the blow. The Terrorfolk didn't have a chance and was cut down where it stood in the doorway. As the first enemy fell, its comrades rushed to its aid and began lashing out with their claws. Corin used his magic and blessed Freya, Einar, and himself to give them an edge in the ensuing fight.

Freya retreated into a better firing position and fired another arrow at one of the Terrorfolk, this time hitting her mark. While the Terrorfolk was reeling from Freya's arrow, Einar came over and struck it with his quarterstaff. The enemy was still alive but once Azaka engaged it with her scimitars, it was promptly taken down out of the fight. While everyone else was fighting their hearts out, Yuri was still hidden and crawled around to get a better view of the fight from behind the dirt mound.

While Corin and the others were preoccupied at the stone hut's entrance, one of the Terrorfolk managed to jump through and fly into the air. It flew up on top of the stone hut then hurled a javelin at Azaka, missing as it veered too far to the right. Along with him, another Terrorfolk managed to get free as well and took to the sky to strike from above. As Azaka looked up to see where the javelin came from, a Terrorfolk got through the door and attacked her with its claws. Seeing Azaka get hit, Corin and Einar moved to assist and attacked the Terrorfolk who hit her in order to draw its attention away from her. From a safe distance, Freya spotted the Terrorfolk on top of the hut that threw the javelin and fired an arrow at it. The arrow knocked the Terrorfolk backwards which caused it to fall into the signal fire that was behind it. It shrieked in agony before it was incinerated into a crisp.

After getting hit by the Terrorfolk, Azaka gave a loud roar and dropped her scimitars. Then something strange started to happen as she began to physically change. She started to grow in size, both in height and muscle mass. Hair or what seemed like fur began to appear all over her body. After her "transformation" was complete, she looked like a werewolf of some sort but with tiger features; she was basically a Weretiger. She looked to the Terrorfolk that attacked her earlier and lunged at it with her claws.

While Azaka was clawing away at its comrade, the Terrorfolk in the air took a javelin and hurled it towards Azaka. Unfortunately for it, the javelin ended up hitting the Terrorfolk that Azaka was attacking instead of Azaka herself. The javelin hit the Terrorfolk and killed it outright.

Yuri watched and nearly snickered as the Terrorfolk in the air killed its ally with a javelin. Seeing as the enemy was distracted by the fratricide, she decided to try and take a quick shot at it. She grabbed a knife from her belt and took aim at the hovering Terrorfolk. While it was still distracted, Yuri threw the knife but it missed its mark, arching below the Terrorfolk and plummeting off the edge of the Fire Finger. Before she could be spotted by her target, she dove behind the dirt mound and lay prone. She managed to remain hidden as she peeked back over the dirt mound.

Back on the ground, everyone else continued to engage the remaining Terrorfolk. Azaka and the others exchanged blow after blow with the enemy, neither side gaining any ground. As she fought, Azaka spotted the leader of the Terrorfolk inside the stone hut. She pushed her way through the doorway and tried to pounce on him but missed. Still on the offensive, she followed up with a leg sweep which knocked him to the ground.

With Azaka able to punch through the enemy's defenses, Yuri decided to join the fight. She targeted a lone Terrorfolk and moved out from cover, readying her rapier. She caught the Terrorfolk off-guard and plunged her sword right through its chest. The winged creature gasped for air then fell backwards, defeated. Once it was dead, Yuri disengaged and looked to the others.

Corin and Einar were still fighting it out in front of the hut. One of the Terrorfolk tried to take flight and escape. As it did, Corin and Yuri were able to get a few quick hits in while it took off. It barely managed to get into the air, but Freya finished it off with a skillful shot. The arrow struck it and sent it hurling towards the ground several hundred feet below. Seeing his comrade get shot down, the Terrorfolk that was already in the air decided to flee. He had already accidentally killed a teammate, so he had enough for one day.

Outside the hut, there was only one Terrorfolk left. Corin pushed through it to help Azaka inside. Meanwhile, Yuri, Einar, and Freya moved to finish off the lone enemy. Freya opened fire and hit it with an arrow. After that, Einar got right in front of it and unleashed a flurry of melee blows which got the Terrorfolk looking pretty beat up. It stumbled backwards as it reeled from the attack, standing close to the edge. Seeing a chance for a quick kill, Yuri took a throwing knife and hurled it straight at the wounded Terrorfolk. The knife impacted it right in the chest with enough force to send it off the edge. Yuri felt good that she was able to redeem herself; however, she lost another knife in the process.

Inside the stone hut, Corin was able to land a sword strike on the Terrorfolk leader. While he was clutching the wound caused by Corin, Azaka jumped onto the leader and bit into his neck, tearing off a piece of his flesh with her large teeth. The Terrorfolk gasped as blood flowed from its neck wound before collapsing dead onto the floor. As she stood over her defeated foe, Azaka caught her breath then sat still on the ground cross-legged. Slowly, she began to return to her human form.

Once the fighting had ceased, the group went about securing the area. Einar picked up Azaka's scimitars and went over to the stone hut, standing off to the side just inside the doorway. He stood there and sensed that Azaka was close, so he made his way next to her. He knelt down beside her and placed the swords on the ground next to her. He also placed a hand on her shoulder and healed some of her wounds using magic.

Since it was safe, Yuri decided to look around. She went inside the hut and saw Corin and Einar looting while also looking for Azaka's mask. They managed to find: four gemstones, 2000 copper coins, 730 silver coins, and a magical scroll. As he was searching, Einar came upon a wooden chest and opened it up. Inside, he found what appeared to be a wooden mask of some sort. He carefully picked it up and brought it over to Azaka.

As Einar approached, Azaka perked up and turned towards him. Once he handed it to her, she basically snatched it right out of his hands and began scrutinizing it. She looked over every inch of it to make sure it was hers and not damaged. After a few brief moments, Azaka let out a sigh of relief and almost embraced the mask against her chest. By then, everyone was in the hut either helping with the loot collecting or just wanting to get out of the rain.

Once Azaka was done inspecting her mask, she got up and addressed Yuri and the others. She delivered a heartfelt thank-you to the group and it was probably the only time they'd see her so emotional. After her speech of gratitude, she gave each member of the group a firm hug as thanks for everything they had done for her.

After Azaka thanked everyone, the group prepared to head back down the Fire Finger. Before they left, they split the loot four-ways amongst themselves since they went through all the trouble to get it. Azaka didn't want any of it and was content with just her mask. Once the loot was split amongst the four of them, Yuri received: one gemstone, 500 copper coins, and 182 silver coins.

It was still raining and dark out, so they began retracing their steps back through the Fire Finger. When they passed by the room with the dead, drained halfling, Yuri noticed the shiny object next to it again. She told the group about it and also warned them about the bats sleeping on the ceiling. Freya volunteered to go check it out and headed into the chamber.

Freya carefully snuck over to the corpse and looked around. She found some gold coins scattered around the body as well as a pouch on the halfling's belt. After gathering up the coins, she took the pouch and looked inside. The pouch contained a golden ring inlaid with gemstones and two onyx figurines. Finding nothing else of value, Freya took the fifteen gold coins and pouch back to the group. She decided to split the gold with the group but kept the ring and figures for herself. After showing everyone the onyx figures, Azaka said she was familiar with them.

The trek back down the Fire Finger was thankfully uneventful. There were no more surprises along the way and all they saw were the corpses of their previous handiwork. Eventually, they made it back down to the base of the Fire Finger. By then, the rain had lightened up. The group met back up with Rollo before making their way back to Camp Righteous.


	6. The Journey Continues

**===== Chapter 6 =====**

**The Journey Continues**

It took them around a day and a half to make the hike all the way back to Camp Righteous. They didn't encounter any hostiles along the way and arrived around noon. It had stormed the night before, so the surrounding jungle was damp. As the group got closer to the camp, Yuri and Rollo heard numerous voices speaking in what she could tell was Common. The group halted and remained hidden until they got a grasp of the situation. Yuri volunteered to scout ahead along with Freya and her wolf.

The three of them snuck through the brush and approached the camp to get a closer look. Yuri kept to the shadows, using the foliage to mask her position. In the distance around the perimeter of the camp, she saw armed sentries keeping a lookout. They seemed to be wearing uniforms similar to those from the Order of the Gauntlet, but she wasn't exactly sure from where she was. She and Freya moved a bit further in and saw more soldiers and people moving around the interior of the camp. They didn't see any signs of Hafthor or Kade, but they figured they were probably safe. After seeing everything they could without being spotted, they returned to the group to report their findings.

Once they got back, they asked Azaka about the situation. Based on what she was told by Yuri and Freya, she figured they were probably the Order of the Gauntlet reinforcements that were inbound to the camp. If that was the case, Corin decided to see for himself and began heading towards the camp. The others followed behind him and they made their way to what they figured was most likely the "entrance" to the camp.

When they got within view of the camp, they noticed that the people inhabiting it were bolstering its defenses and repairing the damage done to the infrastructure. They added a fence around the perimeter and supplemented the guards patrolling the perimeter. As the group got closer to the camp, they were stopped by a couple of guards. Corin took the lead and explained who they were to them. The guards talked amongst themselves for a moment then sent a runner to find the one in charge of the camp.

After a few minutes, they saw a female halfling walking towards them. She was wearing fine robes and walked with a certain air of authority. She introduced herself once she got to the group and said her name was Deur, the acting commander of Camp Righteous; she had the rank of Vindicator and was the officer in charge of the reinforcements stationed there. Corin introduced himself to her and explained again who they were and why they were there. He also asked if they had encountered their comrades Hafthor and Kade. Vindicator Deur did recall encountering a dwarf and halfling by those names when they first arrived. They were safe and still in the camp somewhere. She was completely aware of Yuri and the others after the Vindicator questioned them about why they were in their camp when she and her men arrived. Corin was relieved to hear that their comrades were unharmed and accounted for.

While they were talking, Yuri remembered the dispatch they found off the dead courier when they were fighting the zombies. She tugged on Corin's sleeve and reminded him as well. Corin then took out the dispatch and handed it over to the Vindicator while also saying where they got it from. She took the scroll and read it over, shaking her head in disappointment that the scroll never got to its destination. She rolled it up and pocketed it, thanking Corin and the others for returning it to her. She also thanked them for performing the burial rights they did for the soldier they found. It seemed like all the good karma they accumulated for the Order of the Gauntlet came in handy as they were allowed to enter without any complications.

Corin and the others thanked her and entered the camp. While the others went to find Hafthor and Kade, Yuri branched off to find the camp's quartermaster to restock on supplies. She wandered around the camp, noticing that the tents were repaired and that the large fire pit in the center was removed. Eventually, she found a tent where the camp's supplies were stashed and talked with the quartermaster. He said he couldn't offer much but was able to give six rations and two replacement throwing knives for the ones she lost on the Fire Finger. Yuri thanked him and packed everything away before leaving the tent.

By the time Yuri had left the quartermaster, it was the afternoon. She briefly met up with the group and they decided to stay at the camp for the rest of the day to rest and get a good night's sleep. While she was with the group, Corin said he talked with the Vindicator and found out that attacks from the undead had been more coordinated and less random. It seemed like the undead problem was getting worse, but for now, they were still rather unsure of how to go about fixing it. After they met up, Yuri broke away again to do her own thing.

Yuri took the opportunity to indulge in some "me time" and asked around for a place to take a bath other than the river. She went from person to person, unable to find out anything useful, until she heard a rumor about the Vindicator having her own bathing facility. Eager to wash off all the grime and sweat that had accumulated from the past few days, she hurried off to find the Vindicator. She kept an eye out for the short halfling and eventually found her busily walking around outside a tent. She was supervising a few of her subordinates when Yuri came over to her. Using her nun persona, Yuri asked the Vindicator if there was a place where she could cleanse her body of any evil filth that may had contacted her. The Vindicator finished talking to her men then looked to Yuri, hearing her request. She thought it over for a moment then gave a reply. Since she fully believed Yuri was a nun and a refined lady of religion, she offered her the use of her private bath. The Vindicator wasn't using it anyway at the moment and since the camp was filled with mostly males, she didn't want anything scandalous happening to Yuri. By using her private bath, Yuri was able to bathe in peace without having to worry about being intruded on by anyone other than herself. The Vindicator said she'd have a couple of her female assistants prepare the bath and attend to her needs. Yuri was very gracious for the hospitality and thanked her before following the assistants to the Vindicator's private quarters.

Yuri was relieved that the Vindicator was so willing to share her private bath with her; she could hardly wait. When she arrived at the tent with the assistants, they went about filling the tub with water and heating it up. Even though the bathtub was in a separate section of the tent, the tent itself was rather modest for being the commander's living quarters. It had a living/office area, a bedroom, and the bathing area. While the assistants prepared the bath, Yuri took off her pack and took a seat on a stool, sighing with relief as she got to rest her aching feet. She took off her cloak and undid her belt, letting it fall to the ground with her rapier and utility pouches still on it. Along with the bath water, the attendants lit some candles and prepared some incense. Yuri watched in anticipation as everything came together to form a perfect afternoon of relaxation. All she needed was some hard cider and a good book then it'd be perfect. Once the attendants were done preparing everything, Yuri thanked them and said they could wait in the living area.

After they left the room, Yuri stretched her arms and legs as she sat on the stool. She then hurried to undress and submerge herself in the bath water. She took everything off and tossed them all over, not bothering to fold or organize anything. Once she was completely nude, she could feel all the grim and sweat that had formed a sort of layer on her skin. She felt utterly disgusting then looked to the bathtub. There was steam rising from the water as well as rose petals floating around. Yuri smiled then carefully stepped in, letting one foot sink into the water. The warmth from the water shot through her body and nearly made her moan with delight. She then stepped into the tub with her other leg and nearly moaned again, the sensation a most welcoming one. She slowly sat down and reclined fully into the tub with her head the only part above the water. Yuri sighed with relief and chuckled to herself as she closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of the water.

Shortly after Yuri had gotten into the tub, one of the attendants asked if she could come in and retrieve Yuri's clothes to be washed. Yuri allowed her to do so and let her enter. The attendant collected Yuri's dirty clothes and went to get them cleaned while she took her bath. The other assistant remained just outside the bathing section to attend to Yuri's every whim.

Once the attendant was gone, Yuri closed her eyes again and exhaled slowly. The scents from the candles and incense put her at ease as she sat in the tub. She was just glad it was a normal sized tub and not a mini one meant for Halflings. For the first ten minutes or so, she didn't even bother with scrubbing or washing her body. She just sat there and soaked in the clean water, resting her tired and sore body.

After an hour or so of sitting in the tub, Yuri finished her business and dried off. By then, her clothes were all nice and clean thanks to the attendant. They were dry and neatly folded on the stool next to the tub. After getting dressed, she retrieved her pack and thanked the two attendants for the relaxing bath. Once she was ready, she left the tent in search of something to eat.

Yuri looked around the camp and saw the group sitting around a table by the mess area. Hungry, she went over to see what they were up to. Apparently, the camp chefs made a feast and her and her group were invited to eat their fill. Yuri took a seat by her comrades and dug in. For the past few days, she only had rations to eat, so a fresh, hot meal was a welcomed diversion from that. Like usual, Einar was grabbing an alcoholic drink with Hafthor. Yuri mostly kept to herself, eating her meal as she watched the others.

After dinner, Yuri found a spot off to the side and took out her book. It was still light out, so she didn't need to light a torch or anything to see. While she was reading, Corin and Einar decided to work off dinner with some practice drills to better hone their skills. At first, they were doing their own thing, then they began to spar with each other. Yuri took a brief moment away from her book to see what they were doing. To her, it looked more like they were showing off for the crowd rather than actually fighting. They did a lot of flashy moves and overdramatized their actions for the sake of entertaining the soldiers that had formed a crowd around them. Yuri just rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. After they were done sparing, Corin and Einar had some drinks with the Order of the Gauntlet troops and shared the Alchemist Jug around; they were able to produce around four gallons of beer with the jug, at least, according to them.

As the sun set and the light faded away, Yuri decided to call it a night and get some sleep. She found a spot away from the main tents, but still within the perimeter of the camp, and set up her tent and bedroll. The bath was nice and all, but now she wanted a soft bed to sleep on to top it all off. Unfortunately, all she had was her bedroll, so she just made due and closed her eyes.

After a good night's sleep, Yuri awoke well rested and feeling relatively good. She yawned and sat up in her tent, not particularly in any rush to do anything. She peeked outside the tent to see the camp all calm and intact. There were personnel working about, guards on patrol, and other people doing tasks to help bring the camp back up to speed. After putting on a fresh coat of bug repellant, Yuri got out and packed up her tent and gear. She then headed back to the mess area in search of some breakfast before they headed out. She managed to get a basic meal and sat at one of the tables to eat. The others were going about their business as well, taking care of any last-minute things before they continued on their journey. Once everyone was ready, they went back to the canoes.

While Yuri and the others were gone at the Fire Finger, Hafthor managed to upgrade their canoes with a canopy to give them some shade while they traveled on the river. He used the old, damaged tents from the camp to fashion them. While they were preparing to leave, a guard and a hooded figure approached Yuri and the others. The group looked up to see the two walking over to them. The hooded figure revealed themselves to be an Order of the Gauntlet Priestess. She was a half-orc and her name was Undril Silvertusk. The guard said that the priestess had important dispatches for Niles Breakbone, the commander of Camp Vengeance, another Order of the Gauntlet location. Since the group was headed there anyway, they were to escort Undril to the camp and make sure she and the dispatches got there safely.

The group welcomed the priestess as the guard left her in their care, but Yuri gave her a guarded look. She wasn't particularly fond of orcs, and half-orcs were no exception. The group finished their preparations and continued on down the river towards Camp Vengeance. Yuri found herself in the first canoe which she didn't mind. She was with Azaka, Einar, Corin, and Hafthor. She'd rather be stuck in a canoe with Einar than sit next to a half-orc. Fortunately, the priestess was in the other canoe with Freya, Kade, and the two wolves.

Yuri was glad to be back on the river. The sky was clear and it was still hot, but at least there was a cool breeze coming from the coast. The best thing, though, was that she didn't have to hike around with her heavy pack on her back. She had a shower the day before. She had a good night's sleep. The last thing she wanted to do was get all sweaty with physical activity in the jungle. At least on the river, she could just sit and take it easy, even if it was a bit boring.

While they were paddling along, the group took the opportunity to relax and chat. Einar asked Azaka if she could teach him basic Chultan, and she told him "no" in Chultan. After that, Yuri decided to chat it up with Azaka. She was curious about what happened on top of the Fire Finger but hadn't got the chance to talk her about it. She then turned to Azaka and asked her about her tiger form. Azaka said that the specific type of lycanthropy she had ran in her family. The only thing she asked of Yuri and the rest of the group was that they keep it a secret. She couldn't have her reputation potentially tarnished by the fact that she was a lycanthrope. Yuri promised she wouldn't tell then went back to minding her own business.

To speed things along, Hafthor adjusted the canopies on the canoes to catch some of the wind, helping propel them along. The rest of the day's canoe ride went smoothly and as it got dark, they looked for a place to camp for the night. They found a spot on the north side of the river and cleared some of the underbrush to make a clearing. There was still a bit of light, so the group spent the rest of the day doing their own thing.

Yuri spent the time setting up her spot and watching the others. Still pursuing his dream of being a capable fisherman, Einar took his tackle box and tried his hand at fishing once more. He spent a few moments standing on the edge of the river but caught nothing. After a bit, Freya came over to him and asked if she could borrow some gear to try fishing as well. Einar happily obliged and lent her some of his supplies. Shortly after she cast her line into the river, she felt a tug. She gave a firm pull and saw a fish dangling on her hook. Not wanting to be outdone, Einar cast his line once more and to his surprise actually caught something. It was a disgusting looking eel but a catch nonetheless. Before he could bask in the success of his achievement, Azaka came out of nowhere and snagged the eel from his line. She then walked back towards the others saying she found dinner.

Later on, Azaka cooked everyone fish for dinner. Yuri had a bit of her cooking then decided to retire for the night. She went back over to her tent and prepared to go to sleep.

Yuri stirred awake on her bedroll feeling not as rested as she hoped. There was yelling and shouting as she came to, poking her head out of her tent to see what was going on. It was almost dawn and Corin was on watch. He said zombies were almost upon them and to pack everything up to leave. Undril was on the riverbank holding back two undead with blue marks on their forehead but more were on the way.

Yuri hurried and got up, quickly tearing down her tent and packing everything up. While the others were preparing to leave, Corin went to help Undril keep the undead at bay. Yuri quickly gathered her gear and hurried to the canoes. Everyone got back to the boats and pushed off back onto the river. They barely escaped as Corin and Undril were having trouble holding the undead back and couldn't keep them suppressed any longer.

Once they were clear of any threats, the group was able to collect themselves and catch their breath. Yuri was feeling rather irritable, but at least the attack occurred during the last watch shift so she didn't lose too much sleep. It was just the abrupt and chaotic wakeup call that had her in such a bad mood. She munched on a ration as they cruised along the river, applying more bug repellant after she was done eating.

As they continued down the river, they began to notice something along the riverbank. They began seeing corpses of all sorts littering the banks along the river. There were both humanoid and beast creatures from what they could tell from the canoes. Along with the continued sightings of dead bodies, there was a foul stench in the air that they could smell on the breeze. While they tried to keep their minds off the awful odor, they saw Camp Vengeance in the distance up ahead.

The closer they got to the camp, the more they began to see signs of life. They were relieved to see individuals wearing Order of the Gauntlet uniforms which meant the camp was still intact unlike the last one. The piles and piles of dead bodies weren't reassuring that everything was well though. When they got close enough to the camp, they landed on the shore and disembarked from the canoes. They headed towards the main gate and were stopped by the guards stationed there. Corin and Undril took the lead and explained who they were to them. After that, one of the guards left to fetch their superiors.

The group waited by the gate until two new individuals showed up to greet them. They seemed to be of a higher rank than the normal personnel that they had seen so far, but not as high as Vindicator Deur from Camp Righteous. There was a female human and a male dwarf and they were both the same rank or appeared to be so. Undril moved to greet them and talked with the two for a few moments. After they were done, Yuri and the others were allowed to enter the camp. The people whom Undril were talking with were the camp's two vice commanders, the second-in-commands to the overall commander of the camp, Niles Breakbone. The human female was in charge of the watch and scouting personnel. The male dwarf was in charge of the main force which dealt mainly with direct combat.

Once they were allowed to enter, the group followed the vice commanders to the command tent. While they walked through the camp, they took note of their surroundings. The ground was muddy and uneven thanks to the storm that rolled through. The group continued on until they met with the camp's commanding officer. He briefly introduced himself then left the group in the care of one of his lieutenants, the female human. The group learned about a particular temple located west of Mabala. Yuri asked about the Aldani Basin and received a bit of information about there. There was a specific item or location there that the Gauntlet officer mentioned. While they had her attention, the rest of the group asked about other people who had passed through the camp. Corin also inquired about the unique zombies with the blue symbol on their foreheads. After getting all the information they wanted, or at least, were able to obtain from the female officer, the group made their way out the command tent and back into the camp's interior.

Yuri took the opportunity to break away and look around on her own. She decided to look for some food to eat before they were back in the wilderness of Chult's jungles. After looking around a bit, she found some basic stew that she managed to get a portion of. Freya went off in search of more arrows to replenish her supply. Corin and Einar went off together and headed towards the medical tent.

After the group had their fill of wandering around, gathering supplies and talking to people, they met back up before continuing with their journey. As they were preparing to leave, they were approached by the camp's commander and one of his vices.

###

Suddenly, Yuri stirred awake as the early morning light met her eyes. She remained motionless for a few moments, recalling another wild dream in a long stream of seemingly related dreams she'd been having. She placed a hand to her head as she looked blankly up at the ceiling. It was just a dream, she thought.


End file.
